Army firefighters from the 60th
Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd
Sustainment Brigade, stand in front of their two custom fire engines
they use to protect the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry
Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division in Iraq.
Pictured are: Spc. Clinton Dollahon, of Grassvalley, CA.; Spc.
Christopher Henderson, of Marshalltown, Iowa; Spc. Joseph Holliway, of
Kansas City, Mo.; Pfc. Chase Snodgrass, of Spencer, Ind.; Spc. David
Perez, of Lawrence, MA.; Spc. Benjamin Haley, of El Paso, Texas.; Spc.
Percy Watkins, of Round Rock, Texas; and Spc. Edgar Acena, of Long
Beach, CA. Not pictured are Staff Sgt. Brandon Harris, of Memphis, TN.,
and Spc. Daniel Fuller, of Flint, MI. U.S. Army firefighters from Fort Carson, Co., are providing for the safety of their fellow soldiers at Contingency Operating Site Garry Owen, in Maysan Province.
The team, from the 60th Ordnance Company, 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 43rd Sustainment Brigade, is attached to the task force led by 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
These 10 soldiers are the first team of Army firefighters ever to protect COS Garry Owen, providing emergency response the adjacent Iraqi army installation and the nearby airstrip.
They live and work in a fire station they built from the ground up with 10,000 square feet of raw lumber, determination and sweat.
"We were the first fire department on post. We actually had to build a decent enough structure to house a common area and communication area," Henderson said.
While there's no pole to slide down or firehouse dog, the station provides comfortable living quarters, a common area, space for their workout equipment and a covered parking area for their two fire engines.
The group unanimously agreed that providing for the safety of their fellow soldiers is their number-one priority.
The soldiers all attended their initial entry training at the Department of Defense Fire Fighting Academy at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Tx, alongside prospective firefighters from all branches of service.
The unit has been deployed since November 2009, first to Contingency Operating Base Adder before moving to COS Garry Owen in February 2010. They are slated to return to Fort Carson in November 2010, where they will continue training and working alongside the Fort Carson Fire Department.
Written by and photos by, Maj. Alan S. Brown
3rd BCT, 4th Inf Div PAO
Basra, Iraq
3rd BCT, 4th Inf Div PAO
Basra, Iraq
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