Sometimes when you poke around in the soil of Iraq, you find 3,000 year old antiques. Sometimes you find bugs. And some times you find things like this.

Soldiers from the 503rd Maintenance Company, 398th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, assist Airmen on Sather Airfield with the recovery of a T-72 Soviet-designed battle tank

An Airman with the important job of pest control on Sather Airfield at Camp Liberty, Iraq, was out looking for pesky creatures. He came across a jackal hole and began prodding around to discover the pest, but found something much more interesting.

Airman 1st Class Thomas Burns, a Spencerport, N.Y., native and member of the 447th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron, found an object protruding from the hole that turned out to be the tread of a tank, still attached to the rest of the tank, completely buried in the ground. He notified his supervisor, and they immediately realized that this piece of tread had the potential of causing a life-threatening situation if left in place.

The tread was considered a non-tangible piece of equipment that could catch the fuselage on the bottom of an airplane if forced to conduct an emergency landing on the airfield. The strong durability of the tread would, in theory, tear the belly of the plane during an emergency landing and potentially cause additional and unnecessary injuries to the passengers and crew. The only solution was to remove the old tank.

The Airmen conducted some planning, and then the excavation began! The Air Force used a back hoe to dig out around what was identified as a T-72 Soviet-designed battle tank. They soon realized they would need some additional reinforcement to pull the 41.5 ton piece of metal out of the hole they had dug. They sought out the 503rd Maintenance Company, 398th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade for the call of duty on Sather Air Field. Staff Sgt. Daniel Torres, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native; Sgt. Anthony Gomez, a native of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.; and Spc. Austin Jayko, a White, Ga., native, were chosen as the most high speed recovery team to support the mission. 1st Lt. Lacy Briscoe, an Orem, Utah, native, coordinated with the Air Force commander, Maj. Jack Evans, of Maryville, Tenn., and his team as the 503rd recovery crew examined the deteriorating tank.

The Air Force estimated that the tank was hit in 2003 during the initial ground war and had deteriorated to the point there were no moving parts. The recovery team was not even sure the rusted shackle points would hold the weight of the tank long enough to pull it from the hole. Torres and Gomez were determined to make the mission a victory and gave Briscoe the “thumbs up.” The team traveled back to Camp Liberty and awakened the M88 from a deep sleep and drove it off Pad 21 for the first time to rescue the Air Force from their predicament.

Once the team arrived at the recovery site, Torres directed Gomez and Jayko to hook up the tank to the boom and dig the spade several inches into the ground for additional leverage. Technical Sgt. James Simmons, a native of Highland Mills, N.Y., pushed with the bull dozer while Gomez powered the boom to pull the corroded hunk of steel onto the low-boy trailer. The tank did not want to leave its home on the airfield and was dragging a piece of tread behind it deep into the ground. This made it very difficult to move onto the low-boy trailer. This heavy oxidized piece of steel would not cooperate, but Briscoe and her team was not going to give up.

After several attempts and tricky obstacles the tank was successfully loaded onto the trailer but then slid off one side. After another lift and load endeavor and through pure determination and a little elbow grease the airmen and the Soldiers worked valiantly together to force the tank to sit evenly on the trailer. Finally, as the sun was setting, the eight hour effort of assessing, tugging, pulling, and lifting the T-72 sat on the trailer in a stable position. The support of the 503rd Maintenance Recovery team was crucial to the 447th successfully removing the potentially harmful piece of machinery from the airfield. This recovery effort allowed the airfield to continue safe landing operations.

DVIDS
By 1st Lt. Lacy Briscoe
10th Sustainment Brigade

She sat comfortably on stage, reading aloud a tumble of lyrics to a crowd of listening service members.

Poetry flowed from her lips to their ears, as Staff Sgt. Reagan Gardley gave one last reading at the Camp Liberty’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation center before she redeploys to her home in to Bremerton, Wash.

Gardley’s deployment with the 345th Medical Detachment is almost complete and she credits her own writing in keeping her strong through this deployment.

“I have a hard time expressing how I feel verbally,” Gardley said. “There have been times during this deployment where as a team leader I have (had) to come head to head with (fellow Soldiers). When I could not speak, I would write my thoughts out. Then I was able to speak.”

After attending various MWR poetry nights, Gardley decided to organize an open mike event of her own to provide Soldiers a stage to express themselves.

“I noticed that the Soldiers really had something to say,” Gardley said. “They were telling their stories. I wanted to provide a venue that was not only focused on poetry but on creativity.”

As Soldiers took the stage one at a time, the room filled with fast paced rapping, strums of guitar, words from the heart and even notes from a trumpet.

Gardley finds it important for these Soldiers to find their own outlet.

“There is so much going on, situations that no one could possibly prepare their mind, soul, heart or body for,” she said.

Most Soldiers, she admitted, will call home and try to talk the worries away with their loved ones. Family and friends try to understand but the distance makes it hard. The open mike stage allows Soldiers to share troubles with those who serve under the same sun and walk on the same sand as them.

“Folks just need someone to listen, to hear them,” Gardley said. “Just to get it out and know that they are not holding it all in … even if that person cannot help. It’s like sharing a burden.”

Gardley has been writing poetry since the fifth grade, but she first found her voice through writing short stories. The majority of her work narrates a story rather than focusing solely on an emotion.

“I have written and used a journal since I was in the fourth grade,” Gardley said. “The pen is my therapy. If I have the urge to write, I will write on anything.”

Gardley said when under stress or a heavy heart she usually finds her voice for writing.

“I have tried to write just on a whim, and my pen won’t move,” She added.

Gardley remains humble over her writing awards and publications, as she said one of her most rewarding poetic experiences had nothing to do with self recognition.

“The accomplishment that has been closest to my heart was being asked to read at a Soldier’s funeral,” Gardley said. “He was an inspiration to many of us and being able to give his family a minute to dwell on him, how wonderful he was, how he touched so many lives and how so many people loved him … that was my best work.”

DVIDS
By Staff Sgt. Michel Sauret
10th Mountain Division

Sgt. 1st Class Atir Wise, a native of Killeen, Texas, who serves as a division language manager with Company B, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, pours her heart into singing Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” making her the winner of the Ironhorse Idol competition at the Ironhorse Sports Oasis Dining Facility on Camp Liberty, May 30. Wise said she picked the song to bring inspiration to other female Soldiers because everyone is beautiful in their own way.

“American Idol” is the hit TV show where people from all over the United States showcase their singing abilities in a competition for fame and to be known as The American Idol. Although far from Hollywood, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers had their own shot at the big time.

Such was the setting when the Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division hit the stage as Multi-National Division – Baghdad kicked off its inaugural Ironhorse Idol competition at the Ironhorse Sports Oasis Dining Facility on May 30.

The competitors belted out their tunes, as the 4th Infantry Division Rock Band provided accompaniment, in an effort to win the hearts and votes of the audience.

Although Ryan Seacrest was nowhere to be found, the show was humorously hosted by Lt. Col. Dale Buckner, a native of Rochester, N.Y., who serves as the commander of the Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div., who was equally entertaining and even kicked off the show with a little of his own “old-school flavor.”

The evening’s champion was Sgt. 1st Class Atir Wise, a native of Killeen, Texas, who serves as a division language manager with Company B, Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div., who sang Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful,” who said she had no expectations on winning the competition.

“There were some people who could really sing, so I didn’t think I could beat them,” she said. “For me, this was just a morale booster because I like to sing.”

For Wise, the song choice was an easy one for her because of the meaning behind the lyrics.

“There’s a stigma with being a female in the military,” she said. “It’s as if we’re all expected to not be feminine nor know how to act like a lady. Regardless of what anybody says, we are all beautiful in our own way, and I think the song is an inspiration to other female Soldiers.”

Among the other performers, one stood out as more of the William Hung-like contestant.

Staff Sgt. Keslet Cineas, a native of Miami, who serves as the driver for the commanding general of the 4th Inf. Div and MND-B, dressed up as Michael Jackson and gave his best rendition of “Billie Jean,” with the Moonwalk, gloves and all.

For Cineas, it wasn’t about winning or being the best, the whole reason he did it was to give people a laugh and lighten the mood.

“It’s all about fun here,” he said. “I wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face and just have fun with the event. We’ve been out here for six months now, so this was a perfect way to break up the time.”

Band members enjoyed the experience because it changed up their normal routine.

“It was interesting because you never know what you’re going to get with each new performer,” said Staff Sgt. Sean Kerley, a native of Williamsburg, Va., who serves as a bassist with the 4th Inf. Div. Band. “After all the work we put into this show, it really felt good to see it go so well but now it’s time to get the show back out on the road and get back to what we normally do.”

Soldiers in the crowd seemed to have as much fun as the performers on stage and thought the event was a great way to break up the routines of their deployment.

It helps break up the monotony of the everyday grind we go through,” said 1st Lt. Stephanie Davison, a native of Massillon, Ohio, who serves as the deputy secretary general, with the secretary general staff section, 4th Inf. Div. “This gives us something to look forward to, which makes the week go by really fast.”

2nd Lt. Lindsey Duerst agreed with Davison and said events like Ironhorse Idol help break up the time in Iraq and help Soldiers forget about where they are for a little bit.

“We have so little to do out here as compared to what we have back in the United States,” said the platoon leader who serves with Headquarters Support Company, STB, 4th Inf. Div. “These events are like bringing a piece of home into theater for a night.”

DVIDS
By Spc. Aaron Rosencrans
Multi-National Division – Baghdad

The cast of the CBS series The Unit visited Baghdad last weekend.

Dennis Haysbert, who plays the role of Jonas Beane on the hit CBS TV show “The Unit,” sings a tribute to two Multi-National Division – Baghdad mothers during a meet and greet at the Strike dining facility, May 11. The visit was sponsored by the United Services Organizations and provided the soldiers and civilians an opportunity to meet with the cast and have their photo taken with them. (U.S. Army photo/1st Sgt. Tim Butler)

Cast members from the hit CBS TV show “The Unit” pay a visit with Multi-National Division – Baghdad soldiers at the Strike dining facility on Camp Liberty, May 11. The visit was sponsored by the United Services Organizations and provided the soldiers and civilians an opportunity to meet with the cast and have their photo taken with them. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Sgt. Tim Butler)