Iraq War Updates 2007 – 2010

By Spc. Benjamin Gable
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Spc. Robert Gross, a medic with Co. C., 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and native of Tacoma, Wash., serves a hot meal to Soldiers at Joint Security Station Casino. According to Gross, there is plenty of good food for every Soldier and they look forward to the supply runs every day. Photo by Pfc. Marcus Gable, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.

BAGHDAD — Joint Security Stations (JSSs) have become vital to keeping security in the Iraqi capital. Soldiers live in the same neighborhoods as locals and patrol the streets to keep the areas safe. For troops operating in western Baghdad’s Ghazaliyah neighborhood, living away from Victory Base Complex (VBC) requires Soldiers to rely on outside help for everyday supplies to maintain mission success.

That problem is solved by the troops of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Fort Bliss, Texas, who operate in western Baghdad as part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. These Soldiers run convoys every day to JSSs Maverick, Casino and Thrasher, supplying the outposts there with everything from Soldiers to staples.

“We send out everything a unit could possibly need in order for them to function effectively,” said Capt. Linwood Hilton, the forward support commander for 2-12.

Logistics packages, or log-packs, weren’t always the company’s main mission.

The mission they were originally tasked with was delivering barriers to Ghazaliyah where three JSSs would be built. Soldiers with Co. F., known as “Full House”, helped transport barriers of all sizes for ten months to help make the JSSs more secure. When the mission changed from security to supply a month ago, they didn’t miss a beat.

“The transition was seamless,” said Hilton. “These guys did an outstanding job picking up a new mission.”

Now, they are tasked with ensuring that JSSs Maverick, Casino and Thrasher are well stocked with whatever the mission may call for.

“Pencils, paper, wood, hot chow, people and mail; you name it we need it,” said Sgt. Jimmy Cadenas, a supply sergeant with Co. C, 2-12 Cavalry, who currently works out of JSS Casino.

Soldiers patrolling the streets in armored vehicles throughout the day and night can work up a big appetite. That’s where Full House steps in and helps provide hot meals. Their daily supply run is loaded with food items from the main menu in the dining facility for that day. Whether its breakfast, lunch or dinner, the Soldiers in the field get the same meal as those back on VBC.

“They get anything from steaks and lobster tails to sandwiches and salads,” said Sgt. Vanessa Sanchez, a native of Roswell, N.M., with Full House. “Whatever it is, it beats MREs (meals ready-to-eat).”

The log packs roll out every day on a mission to help Soldiers in the field get a hot meal. According to Hilton, it is a mission that must be carried out.

“It’s not important; it’s essential,” he said. “It helps their moral knowing after a hot day they can come back to the JSS and look forward to a good meal.”

This entry was posted on Friday, September 21st, 2007 at 5:28 AM and is filed under Iraq Up Dates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.