Battlefield Airmen

Published March 12, 2007
By Staff Sgt. Ian Carrier
386 AEW/PA

CAMP BUCCA, Iraq -- Gator 1 rolls out of the front gate of Camp Bucca, Iraq, four Humvees strong.
The patrol consists of members of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces
Squadron. The purpose of the presence patrol is to maintain surveillance in
sectors 1-6, searching for any signs of hostile intent. All eyes are on a constant
lookout for anyone with a weapon, new debris on the side of the road, possible
improvised explosive devises or vehicle borne IED's.

The Airmen patrol the through the village of Umm Quasar. The "Mogadishu
run", as it is dubbed, takes the personnel through a neighborhood marked with
signs of past violence. Burned out cars sit outside of buildings pocked marked
with bullet holes. Children line the streets to wave and beg for candy and water.

"We like it when there are children around;" says Staff Sgt. Mark Bentoski,
586th ESFS Vehicle Commander. Sgt. Bentoski goes on to explain that
all attacks that have happened in the past occurred when there were no children
around. Thankfully the insurgents seem unwilling to harm youngsters.
Any vehicles that block or slow down the progress of the patrol are met with a
blast from the lead vehicles horn. This is enough to keep the Humvees rolling.
"You never want to stop," says Sergeant Bentoski.

The area being patrolled is under British control. The Airmen pass a long
line of trucks waiting to get into Northport, an area which houses a British
base. Rows of ships starkly contrast the desert environment of eastern Iraq.
The next order of business is Operation Weekend. The purpose of this operation
is to provide security for Iraqi Corrections Offi cers entering and leaving Camp
Bucca. Twice a week a vehicle control point is set up in the morning to check
vehicles entering, then again at night to check vehicles leaving. The driver for
Gator 1-1, Staff Sgt. Ramin Amely, 386th ESFS, doubles duty as a translator. Sergeant
Amely is an Iranian born American soldier who grew up speaking Farsi.
Sergeant Amely explains that Farsi is similar to Arabic, but he still mixes words
occasionally.

After about half an hour of checking vehicles, Gator 1 is replaced by Gator 2.
Due to a vehicle problem, the elements are going to swap missions. Gator 1
is now tasked to do an IED sweep, or "berry picking", for a convoy coming in.
The sweep will be conducted on a bridge with a history of being a hot-spot
for IED's near the town of Safwan. The vehicle commanders dismount and clear
under the bridge as the 4 humvees cross the bridge in a diamond formation.The
gunners use binoculars to scan the area as everone else keeps an eye out for
anything out of place.

All the Airmen are familiar with what is normally on the side of the road, so
any new trash, dirt piles or dead animals may be suspect. All of the guard rails
have been removed, and any missing concrete has been marked with spray
paint. All of the IED's in this area have been found near or on this particular
bridge.

After the bridge has been secured, all vehicles link up and provide security
for the convoy. It takes about an hour of waiting, but the long lumbering snake of
trucks fi nally drives through and on to its destination. It's time to head back to
Camp Bucca and get something to eat. For these Airmen who are performing
tasks that are non-traditional for the Air Force, there is still work to be done. It's
get to the dining hall, eat fast and right back outside the wire.

IED search