Don & Fred to Iraq Article / July - Aug. 2003

INTEGRATED LOGISTICS SUPPORT

HIGHLIGHTS

August 2003 - Volume 2, Issue 8

TADS CVT Trip to the Sandbox

In June, Lockheed Martin employees Don Hoyt and Fred LeBarron, both members of the Calibration and Verification Team (CVT), went to Kuwait and Iraq for one month. The TADS CVT contract includes the calibration and maintenance of US Army AVIM EO Benches that support the repair of Apache helicopter LRUs in both Kuwait and Iraq. This is their story, or rather adventure…

When asked how was the month long TDY in Kuwait and Iraq? … Don replied, “It was like a trip to Hell and back.” Their trip began with a few bumps in the road at check in. Sato Travel had incorrectly booked both travelers with one-way tickets to Kuwait. When Don and Fred attempted to check in at the airport, they were informed that they would need to have return tickets. One travel agent asked Don how he was getting back, “in a body bag?” They finally got in touch with Sato, and the problem was solved. They now had return tickets. Onward to Kuwait!

By way of New York and Amsterdam, the two arrived Kuwait, with its temperatures of 130+ degrees Fahrenheit during the day and 100 degrees Fahrenheit at night. This would be the norm for their stay in the Middle East. Fred rented a car, and they were on their way to Camp Udairi, Kuwait, located in the desert. They took the Snake Trail, made of sand and sharp rocks, ones that easily puncture tires. At the camp, Jim Radcliffe, who helped set up the trips to the US Army bases in both Kuwait and Iraq, shared that the tires on his SUV are repaired or replaced several times each month. (Pictured left: Don at Baghdad International Airport; pictured right: Fred standing next to an Apache, Al Asad.) (See Slideshow)

Over the next two days, they journeyed to Camp Doha to pick up the calibration equipment that was sent from the US, and then flew on a Chinook helicopter to Balad, Iraq. As they entered Iraq, the three machine guns on the Chinook began firing on several trucks. Fred was already wearing his flack jacket, and Don put his on along with his helmet. Neither saw or heard anyone fire back. (Pictured left: Palms along the Tigris river; pictured right: the EETF at Balad.) & (the Balad Air base test van that we repaired. We were there the on July 4 with enemy morters every night for fireworks.) (See Slideshow)

During the ride over the Iraqi dessert, the view was mostly sand while hot r blew against their faces. Don expressed, “It was like a hot hair drier blowing over your face. “ The scenery changed from desert sand to palm trees when they flew over the Tigris River. The lush green palms could be seen for miles, and were especially dense near the banks of the river. About half way into their ride, they stopped to refuel at an old Iraqi military base. Five hours into the trip, Don was feeling sick due to the combination of the up and down motion of the aircraft and the hot air blowing on him from the rear engines. Finally, they arrived at the Balad Iraqi Airbase and met Steve Ireland. That night Don and Fred stayed in the EETF van, which had the luxury of air conditioning. At approximately 1:00 a.m., there was mortar fire, and Lockheed Martin personnel were instructed to head for an old fortified Iraqi aircraft hanger, which doubled as a bomb shelter. They heard later that 10 soldiers on that base had been injured.

It was July 4, business as usual, no vacation day or picnic with the family. Don and Fred got to work. They, along with the troops, were treated to the delicacy of hamburgers and beans for lunch and supper rather than MREs (meals ready to eat). Fireworks that night came in the form of more mortar fire, resulting in five injured soldiers.

The following day, the enemy fired another mortar that landed a quarter mile from the van. They could hear and feel the concussion. They again headed for the ”bomb shelter.” Steve Ireland stated, “I would not have let you come to this base if I had known that the mortars were going to go off close to the EETF van.” One day as they drove around the base to the terminal building, Don spotted Iraqi farmers in a field picking tomatoes. He wondered, ”Maybe these farmers are firing these mortars during their night job.”

Their next stop was Baghdad International Airport (BIAP). They arrived by Blackhawk helicopter. One day during their stay, Senator Bill McCollum, from Florida, joined the Army unit for lunch - steak, hamburgers, salad and several desserts. The GIs said, “This kind of food isn’t the norm.”

(Pictured left: sleeping quarters at "Q-West.”) (See Slideshow)"

Several days later Don and Fred took a Chinook to Qayyarah, more xcommonly known as “Q-West” (south of Mosul, Iraq). John Wesolowski greeted them, and escorted them to old Iraqi military quarters for their stay. That night, Fred turned in early, and Don joined the soldiers for a VCR movie on the TV. While watching the movie, a big camel spider walked across the floor and the GIs killed it, and then shoved it into a corner of the room. About an hour later a large black scorpion followed suit and met the same destiny. This, as well as sleeping in the hot temps in the make shift hotel that had no doors for ventilation, just some broken windows, made sleeping a little challenging.

Once again, it was back to Baghdad. Though originally scheduled to travel approximately 40 miles by convoy from Q-West to Mosul continuing on to Baghdad by Blackhawk, Don and Fred requested air transport for the full route. The base commander arranged for the fight on a Blackhawk helicopter. Once in Baghdad, at BIAP, they were to catch a flight to Al Asad. They were to look for a Blackhawk with a “Stetson on the side and Superman on the front.” No arrival time or aircraft tail number was given. Fred said, “On Sunday after we saw no aircraft in the morning, and deciding that it would not be wise to stand in the middle of BIAP least someone ask us what we were doing, and we would have to tell them we were “looking for Superman,” we attempted to contact Al Asad to find out where the aircraft was and where we were to meet it. The two never saw Superman, so plans changed and they headed for Kuwait and would go to Al Asad later.

Once in Kuwait, they took full advantage of the shower at their hotel. It had been two weeks since they had had access to showers, so they both took several. While in Kuwait, they enjoyed some good food in the Army’s new mess hall at Camp Arifjan. Don notes, “The food was great!” There, the two completed the calibration of the EO Bench on time, but not without the “great help” from Bob Plumpton.

The guys left Kuwait on a Chinook (after the helicopter was delayed three days for an engine that went out in the desert) and headed for Al Asad Iraqi Airbase. Chuck Regmund greeted them and took them to some old military barracks to bunk. That night Don heard loud explosions and saw flashes in the sky. Later they found out that old Iraqi ammunition was being burned. The next day included a pleasant surprise; the very nice mess hall in Al Asad served three meals a day. That night was met with a not so pleasant surprise, the local people of Iraq shut off both water and lights. Chuck and Don had to sleep with no air conditioning and use flashlights to get around. Fred opted to stay in the EETF van, which was powered by a portable generator. (Chinook helicopter rear gunner.) (See Slideshow)

(We ran into US Army convoy hit with RPGs. Our two chinook helicopter provided gun fire support until the medical helicopters came an pick up three GIs that were killed.) (See Slideshow)

The following day the CVT guys took a Chinook helicopter back to BIAP. Fred said, “About half way there, we landed at a base to deplane personnel from the second Chinook. While sitting on the ground the gunner on our aircraft opened his ammo box, removed two packs, loaded the 50-cal mounted in the rear of the aircraft, and told everyone to put on their “Kevlar” (helmet). We took off rather quickly and headed east a short distance then started circling a section of highway. A convoy had been hit and our aircraft had the task of looking for the “bad guys,” and providing air cover as required. We circled for 15 - 20 minutes during which time we were able to see two MedEvac helicopters sitting on the road and military personnel carrying a stretcher to one of them.” They were told that three soldiers had been killed. The enemy could not be found; they mixed in with the local civilian population.

“At the airport we waited all day to get a C5 aircraft out of Baghdad,” notes Don. Upon entering the aircraft, Fred and Don walked past a black body bag, the reality of war. Many US soldiers have paid the ultimate price, made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, and continue to do so. One month after their departure, Fred and Don returned home. It was a trip they will not soon forget.

On August 21, Don Hoyt and Fred LeBarron were recognized for a job well done during their time in the Middle East. Because of their help and that of Lockheed Martin employees still there, the equipment being used by our troops will remain operational, and will aid in the cause of Freedom. One famous author once said, "He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression."

(Pictured left to right: Don Hoyt, Tyronne Smith, Fred LeBarron, Derrell Lipscomb, Paul Colton, and Karl Basa.)