Unit eases more responsibility onto Iraqis

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Unit eases more responsibility onto Iraqis
By James Warden, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, October 2, 2008

BAGHDAD — Life used to be worse for the soldiers of Troop C, 3rd Squadron, 89th Cavalry Regiment. They spent six out of every nine days at a joint security station in Baghdad’s Rusafa district, where 54 soldiers slept on dirty mattresses in a single room with one insufficient air conditioner.

The men had hot food only when a patrol could swing by one of the larger bases, and they had an eight- to 12-hour shift of guard duty on top of their two patrols a day.

"120- to 130-degree days, you did not want to sit in the hot sun 12 hours a day," said Sgt. 1st Class Allen Medley, a Troop C platoon sergeant.

The rough living was necessary as American units throughout Iraq pushed their men out to hundreds of small sites in Iraqi communities, a reversal after years of patrolling from massive, isolated forward operating bases.

Troop C soldiers and most of their squadron comrades now spend six of every nine days on relatively plush FOBs.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=57828