Ugandan Soldiers On Duty in Iraq
Sgt. Todd Jones (center) a Washington native, along with Ugandan corporals Joseph Kayemba, Amagu Alfred and Asiimwe Dickens, prepare to search a vehicle entering Camp Taji’s Lobo Gate.
Seven months ago, the Soldiers of 64th Brigade Support Battalion, Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assumed responsibility of Lobo Gate force protection from 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, at Camp Taji.
The gate separates the Multi-National Division – Baghdad portion of Camp Taji from the Iraqi side of the base; when the Mountaineers inherited the gate, it had little to no force protection, no traffic plan and was in desperate need of necessary improvements.
The 64th BSB assistant Base Defense Operating Center and the Striker Village mayor cell developed a plan to design and improve the flow of traffic, vehicle and personnel search operations and to provide added overwatch capability. The plan was presented to the Camp Taji Base Defense Operating Center for approval.
“The Lobo Gate was in need of major redesigning,” said Sgt. 1st Class James Martin, a native of Cincinnati, who serves as the operations non-commissioned officer for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 64th BSB. “We tore down the search area that was also the civilian outgoing lane to the coalition forces side and turned it into the incoming lane for all traffic.”
He said the team added a third tier to the tower, which provided the space needed for inspection area overwatch and additional spotlights.
“We had plenty of space at the gate not being used,” he added, “so we turned that into the vehicle and personnel search area. It took a lot of planning, funding and hard work – but it was worth it.”
The redesign for Lobo Gate was planned by Martin, Capt. David Mitchell, Staff Sgt. Ray Foster, Staff Sgt. Amour Grace and 1st Sgt. Corey Givhan.
The construction of Lobo Gate took 13 days and was a success for the whole camp. Brig. Gen. Mike Milano, a former deputy commanding general for the 4th Inf. Div., and leaders from the Camp Taji BDOC, praised the project as a success and called for the immediate upgrade of other critical entry control points on Camp Taji.
“Staff Sgt. Grace and her team did an outstanding job on improving the operations at the gate. It not only improves our safety but also the guards’ ability to stay focused and get the job done,” said Lt. Col. Robert Hatcher, a Montgomery, Ala., native, who is the commander of the 64th BSB.
The changes, both aesthetic and needed, have not gone unnoticed by those who man Lobo Gate.
“The reconstruction of Lobo Gate has made inspecting vehicles very easy and looks very good because it was ugly,” said a Ugandan soldier, who has worked at Lobo Gate under both 64th BSB and 2nd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div.
Lobo Gate is manned by two MND-B and four Ugandan soldiers. There is a great partnership between the U.S. and Ugandan soldiers, with little to no language or cultural gaps.
“The Ugandan soldiers are well trained in there profession, very disciplined and take their job very serious,” said Sgt. Corey Dale, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who serves as the force protection sergeant of the guard with Company B, 64th BSB. “The Ugandan soldiers are very friendly and always eager to learn about our culture and teach us about theirs.”
The six Soldier teams at Lobo Gate search nearly 1,100 people and more than 700 vehicles weekly with no reportable incidents to date.
DVIDS
By Staff Sgt. Amour Grace
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Subscribe
Correction: They are not Ugandan Soldiers. They are Ugandan Contractors / Security Guards.
What each and every soldier should be asking Congress and the President is why the Army is serving 15 month tours while the rest of the military are serving greatly reduced tours i.e. Air Force 3-4 months (12 days off with freedom passes, another 3-4 days off, in addition), a few 6 month’ers, most do not even serve in Iraq, Navy 3-4 months rarely in Iraq (12 days off with freedom passes in addition) , Marines 6-7 months (15-18 days off) and Army 12-15 with some people having served 18-20 (15 days vacation for a year and a half tour). It is also important to note that many soldiers in the Army are on their second or third year long tour. It is true that the Marines tour more often but I have met Marines with 4 tours that have less time in Iraq than my two tours and I am scheduled for a third. I will have 30 months of tour time in less than 5 years over 3 tours. It is also a fact that many of these other branches aside from Marines tour less often and get paid more money in special pays. The 2 AF stationed with us for 3 months were receiving hundreds of dollars extra in “substandard living condition “pay for living in standard Army housing for 3 months. That is plain wrong. I have no problem with the other branches of the military but ask the country and our leaders what are they thinking?
The Army should receive a higher salary and other increased special pays ie early retirement for the excessive amount of their family’s lives that they are missing. We would also like to see our families every 3-7 months, even if we tour more often. We would also like the extra pays and safe tours in Kuwait or other non combat places getting combat pay. While my fellow soldiers suffer with the highest divorce, bankruptcy, family problem, mental illness, suicide, combat injury and death rates we are being nickel and dime’d by a government that has forgotten how much extra we are giving. Why aren’t there articles in every major newspaper about this? Where is the outrage at the unequal treatment? Do our families, our children matter to anyone? Try being away from your children for almost 3 years out of five. If you are lucky enough to come back to a family, you come back a stranger far worse off than your fellow brother in arms in the other branches of service. Someone please recognize and nationally address this problem. I am afflicted with the desire to serve my country in the Army, which should not mean that only Army soldiers should have to surrender their families and mental health to this cause. I am a father of a toddler and infant and I do not even know them. I would love to be able to see them every 4-6 months. How many divorces, suicides and deaths will it take? Where is the equity; where is the justice and financial recognition for the Army?
Until this changes senior Captains, NCOs and officers will continue to flee out of self preservation because we the Army of the United States of America have been forgotten.
CPT H
Iraq