Warriors of the North earn praise in Iraq

  • Published
  • By Capt. Michael Meridith
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
3/23/2006 - GRAND FORKS AFB, N.D. --  The nature of the Global War On Terror has meant that more than ever, Warriors of the North are finding themselves working side by side with sister service counterparts, earning respect through skillful work under demanding conditions. 

That respect was very much in evidence to the 22 Grand Forks Air Force Base Airmen (21 civil engineers and a logistics readiness troop) who recently completed a busy, seven-month deployment through northern and central Iraq supporting two Army engineer brigades, the 30th and the 555th. 

“Our Airmen were continually praised by Army leadership for their unmatched professionalism and craftsmanship,” said Capt. Paul Cristina of the 319th Civil Engineer Squadron and a member of the team. 

Part of the team's key to successfully operating alongside their Army counterparts came from training. After leaving Grand Forks last June, the group immediately went to Fort McCoy, Wis., to participate in the Army's 24-day combat skills training program. There they qualified with a variety of weapons and practiced convoy operations, perimeter security and even hand-to-hand fighting skills. After stopping in Kuwait to demonstrate to Army cadre that they were combat-ready, the Airmen left for their first stop in Iraq - Forward Operating Base Taji, about 20 miles north of Baghdad. The Grand Forks Airmen teamed with active duty, guard, and reserve Airmen from 26 other bases to form the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron and immediately got “down to business.” 

“Our expert troops hit the ground running at Taji,” said Captain Cristina. “They completely renovated a dorm complex for the Iraqi Army by performing masonry work, plumbing, and electrical installation. They also erected a Super K-Span to house maintenance operations for a CH-47 Chinook helicopter unit. What’s more, they hauled thousands of loads of soil and rock to construct more than five miles of roadways.” 

According to Captain Cristina, those actions and the professional bearing the Airmen displayed as they manned security posts alongside Soldiers earned them a great deal of respect and praise from their Army counterparts. In all, the Airmen conducted security searches of more than 3,900 trucks and 19,000 people. 

The work of the RED HORSE didn’t stop at Taji. A short time after arriving, the unit was ordered to relocate its headquarters to FOB Endurance, 30 miles south of Mosul. It wasn’t an easy feat considering it meant moving more than 400 containers, pieces of equipment, and vehicles across often dangerous Iraqi highways. Despite the challenges, the RED HORSE team made the move flawlessly. 

The unit virtually transformed FOB Endurance, performing critical repairs to open the runway to C-17 traffic, building an area to house nearly 400 Airmen, and constructing and hardening entry control points. 

“These folks were given missions all over Iraq for construction projects worth more than 15 million dollars and they managed them all perfectly,” said Captain Cristina, who noted that the unit also built a helipad at Balad, a detention facility at another FOB, and many other projects while providing their own support functions. Not only did the unit move people and equipment to job sites throughout Iraq, they even operated their own supply yard and procured, inventoried and shipped materials across the country. 

“Our Grand Forks team performed admirably as members of RED HORSE,” said Captain Cristina. “Their roles as combat engineers required more than we normally ask of them back home, but they quickly mastered new skills, becoming even more formidable Warriors and professionals. Their hard work and sacrifices made us a valued partner to the Army and did important work in helping provide security to the people of Iraq.”