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Forward Iraq base grim, 'tolerable'

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JOE, Iraq — Perhaps it was best that soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment's Charlie Company arrived here at night.

In the light of day, the former potato factory known as FOB Joe barely looks habitable. The factory has been bombed and looted. With no plumbing, the Iraqi soldiers posted here used some of the buildings as outhouses.

The cantankerous Egyptian-made generator works only occasionally. And residents of the nearby town of Yusufiyah often glare with ill-disguised contempt as soldiers drive by in armed convoys.

"The conditions here are grim but tolerable," said Staff Sgt. Scott Brown, 42, a millwright from Trion, Ga. "We've got some electricians and mechanics in our unit, and we're already planning ways to make things better."

Charlie Company, with about 90 soldiers, and the 108th's similar-sized Bravo Company have taken up residence at two satellite forward operating bases south of Baghdad where living conditions are more austere than the comfortable confines of larger, more established military facilities.

The 108th's soldiers will patrol the restive Sunni towns that U.S. officials say have been used as staging areas for insurgent mortar and rocket attacks and a manufacturing center for deadly mines, roadside and car bombs.

Unlike many soldiers in Iraq who dine on catered meals, live in air-conditioned trailers, have unlimited shower use and constant telephone and Internet access, members of Bravo and Charlie companies eat pre-packaged meals, get to shower only every three days and sleep in a windowless former vegetable storage room.

Lt. Col. John King, commander of the 108th, visited Joe last week and said the place has some good points.

The building has a large, concrete apron, which is a big plus for soldiers who operate 70-ton tanks and other heavy equipment. The sleeping quarters are well-insulated and stay relatively cool, and the building has electrical wiring and water that can be purified for showers and drinking.

These soldiers from the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Brigade Combat Team plan to use Joe and another facility known as FOB Row to push the American military presence into lawless areas, where they hope to bring some security and political stability.

The base used to be known as St. Joe, but the "saint" was ordered removed from it and St. Michael because of concern for Muslim sensitivities.

"There hasn't been a significant military presence here yet," said King, 41, a police chief in civilian life. "There's no formal government here or local police. We're it."

King plans to start practicing "random acts of kindness" to help win over the Iraqis.

Right now, however, he's sending some diesel mechanics, bringing in portable generators and installing telephone lines to improve the daily lives of the soldiers who have taken up residence here.

King says he plans to shut another military facility and consolidate the equipment at Joe. The other satellite operating base is in a former school, and King wants to return the ramshackle three-story building to its previous use.

"It'll be great to return it to the community and let them turn it into a school again," he said. "Over time, those kinds of changes can really make a difference in people's lives."

Dave Hirschman writes for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. E-mail: dhirschman@ajc.com