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| 401st Engineer Company Soldiers maneuver a section of a bridge at Patrol Base Dragon on the Euphrates River. Photo by SGT Amber Latham. |
Story and Photos by Sgt. Christopher Bryant
314th Public Affairs Operations Center
Soldiers who are deployed to Iraq often find themselves performing unique missions to improve the quality of life in the region. One group of Army Reserve engineers was tasked with such a mission: to remove a bridge from the Euphrates River at Patrol Base Dragon located southwest of Baghdad.
As the current rushed along, Soldiers from the 401st Engineer Company of Oklahoma City, Okla., took apart the bridge using boats and various tools. The 401st is one of seven companies assigned to Task Force 844. The headquarters element is the 844th Engineer Battalion from Knoxville, Tenn.
Building and dismantling bridges are just two of the many missions the 844th and its subordinate units are performing in Iraq. They also do horizontal and vertical construction projects, as well as survey and design. These projects take place all over the country, according to Lt. Col. Adam Roth, Commander, Task Force 844.
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| Soldiers in the 401st Engineer Company use boats to disassemble a bridge at Patrol Base Dragon on the Euphrates river. Photo by Sgt Christopher Bryant. |
“We have Soldiers all over the four Multi-National Divisions in Iraq,” he said. “We could be doing a bridge in Mosul, a construction project in Basrah, building force protection in the western part of the country, and building protective barriers in the far east.”
The construction projects are not only for the improvement of the country, but also for the safety of the military as well. “That is what we do as the theater construction battalion,” Roth stated. “We provide the maneuver commander all the things he needs to stay safe.”
Constructing buildings and bridges is a vital part of restoring Iraq’s infrastructure, but is not the only part. Task Force 844’s mission continues with teaching.
“The second mission we do here is Iraqi partnership,” said Roth. “We have partnered with two specific Iraqi engineer units.”
Once the projects are completed, people will have to maintain the structures as well as build new ones. Roth feels that the partnership with the Iraqis will provide training in the skills necessary to perform maintenance for the buildings.
“We are able to take lessons that we have learned over the years here and show the Iraqis how to be better carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and bridge men,” he said.
When Maj. Gen. Paul Hamm, Commanding General, 412th Theater Engineer Command, came into country to visit the units that fall under his command in the United States, the Soldiers saw that their efforts here were visible to their senior leadership in the United States.
All day and into the night, the Soldiers of Task Force 844 were afforded the opportunity to showcase their work to Hamm, and felt a sense of pride as Roth took the general to various construction sites around Iraq.
“The general’s visit helps boost the morale of Soldiers in the 844th,” said Sgt. Nathan Westover, a member of Task Force 844. “It means a lot to us when we see our commanding general here looking out for our well being.”
