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Darkhorse Marines Secure Road to Ramadi
Minnesota's Cpl. Matthew J. Thienes (Lake Elmo) & Lance Cpl. Joshua Wilwerdin (Freeport), Minn. in the thick of it.
Darkhorse
Marines Secure Road to Ramadi
U.S. Troops endure temperatures exceeding 114 degrees as they work to prevent
insurgents from planting improvised explosive devices.
By Cpl. Mark Sixbey
1st Marine Division
CAMP
HABBANIYAH
Iraq, June 15, 2006 —A stretch of highway once called “IED Alley” just might get a new nickname. Maybe something along the lines of “Darkhorse Drive.”
Marines of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, are making steps to secure Main Supply Route Michigan, the highway connecting Fallujah and Ramadi. They built several new observation posts along the way, an area near the Euphrates River with no distinct city lines or local government.
The Marines are cutting into insurgents’ ability to move and plant improvised explosive devices.
"So far we’ve only been here for a day, but we’ve managed to disrupt enemy activities … by maintaining constant surveillance and constant watch."
Staff Sgt. William W. Heidelberger,
a platoon sergeant for K Company
“It’s to keep the major lines of communications open, prevent IEDs from getting in place, so as units transit back and forth it’s safer,” said Staff Sgt. William W. Heidelberger, a platoon sergeant for K Company.
Marines live in houses, which have no electricity or running water. They patrol the area, stand watch and labor to improve the post with temperatures exceeding 114 degrees in the sun.
Tough living conditions are nothing new for Marines in the infantry company.
“We do what we have to do to survive,” said Cpl. Matthew Brines, a motor transport operator attached to I Company. “There’s no amenities like at the forward operating bases, but we have what we need – a place to sleep, food, water and relative security.”
Heidelberger, a 33-year-old from Marvell, Ark., said he’s already noticed an improvement in the situation along the highway during the short time since his platoon began patrolling from their observation post, dubbed OP Falcons.
“So far we’ve only been here for a day, but we’ve managed to disrupt enemy activities … by maintaining constant surveillance and constant watch,” Heidelberger said. “As they try to do things, we can interdict them and disrupt and destroy enemy activities.”
The new positions along the highway enable the Marines to keep eyes on the road for anything out of place.
“There are signs we look for, a lot of obvious things that tell us if
there’s going to be an attack,” said Cpl. James Walters, 21, from
Houston.
A common method used by insurgents to attack Marines is planting roadside bombs along the highway. Seven have been found within a 1,000-meter stretch of road, according to Sgt. Joseph Zolnai, a squad leader for I Company.
The 22-year-old from Holt, Mich., said the insurgency is more organized in their new area of operations.
“We deal with coordinated attacks a lot more now,” he added.
The change of operational tempo is welcome to many Marines in the company, who waited for a good fight since the battalion arrived in Iraq in January.
“We’ve seen more action as a company here in our first four or five days than we did in five months in Amiriyah,” said Cpl. Matthew J. Thienes, a team leader with I Company. “This place is the hub ... a way different pace and whole different ballgame.”
The 22-year-old from Lake Elmo, Minn., doesn’t mind the extra work, either.
“It’s fine,” he said. “We’re doing our job.”
Brines, a 22-year-old from White Lake, Mich., spent five months at Camp Smitty driving trucks to re-supply forward operating bases. He also drove for patrols. He got his first taste of enemy contact soon after the battalion shifted forces west.
“The other day, two IEDs detonated near my truck within 100 meters of each other,” he said. “It’s not natural to have bullets shot at you, but after being a Marine for three and a half years, it’s kind of exciting. It feels like we’re actually doing something.”
The company plans to reach out to the surrounding community and let the citizens know what’s going on, make allies and help the local Iraqis help themselves attain some peace and stability in the area.
“That’s always an ongoing process,” Heidelberger
said. “We’re just now getting here and getting our feet wet, so
as it develops a little more we’ll see what we can do.”
http://coonlakebeach.com/support_mn_troops.htm
