The State January 16, 2007
In Iraq, long hours are routine
By Chuck Crombo
Long days and weeks are part of the routine for soldiers in a West Columbia-based S.C. National Guard unit at Camp Bucca in Iraq.
“A routine week is six days on and one day off ... a 12-15 hour day,” Lt. Col. Bryan Tutko, commander of the 251st Rear Area Operations Center, wrote in an e-mail to The State.
It’s the second time the approximately 40-soldier unit has gone to Iraq since the war began in March 2003. Most of the troops now in Iraq weren’t part of that first rotation, but about three-fourths of them have been deployed overseas before.
The 251st is one of three S.C. National Guard units now in Iraq. Also in Iraq is the 151st Field Artillery Brigade from Sumter and the 267th Quartermaster Company of Allendale. In total, about 100 S.C. Guard soldiers are in Iraq.
Camp Bucca, near Umm Qasr in southern Iraq, is home to the largest prison for enemy prisoners of war, according to GlobalSecurity.org, a military Web site. Some 8,500 insurgents are being held there, according to the Web site.
The 251st is in charge of base defense and logistics, Tutko said. Its soldiers also are training local Iraqis to run the camp and take over after the S.C. troops leave, Tutko said.
“We are optimistic that if the next three months in Iraq go well, we will be out of job here at the end of our tour,” Tutko said.
Support from home has helped keep up the troops’ morale so far, said 1st Lt. Brendan Cooney.
Over the holidays, the unit’s family support group and West Columbia-area schools sent letters, stockings, candy, ornaments and a Christmas tree, Cooney said.
The outpouring of support “was not something I imagined,” Cooney said.
The next milestone in the countdown to a trip home is Valentine’s Day, Cooney said. “Then, there’s the dreaded summer.”
The 251st, which arrived in September at Camp Bucca, still has about nine more months in Iraq before its troops pack up and head home.
Right now, there isn’t much time to think about the farewell ceremony; everyone’s too busy. “The days go like minutes because of tasks,” said 2nd Lt. Eric Beasley.
Staying busy is just fine with Spc. Andrew Williams.
But, he added: “We can’t wait to see green grass. Everything here is desert and brown.”
© Copyright 2007, The State
