County officer tells Iraq story

EDITOR'S NOTE: Twenty county workers have been called into active duty since the war in iraq began. County police Cpl. Steve Quick of Severn was one of them. Here is his account of what he experienced as printed in an employee newsletter. ---

I left Anne Arundel County on Jan. 19, 2003, to join the 309th RAOC, a 5th Corps command and control element, in Weisbaden, Germany.

On Feb. 20, I flew to Kuwait where we joined 5th Corps at Camp Virginia. The next month was a flurry of activity planning, drawing equipment, conducting rehearsals and preparing for the assault into Iraq.

On March 21, we departed Camp Virginia for Iraq. We crossed the border early in the morning of March 22 just behind the combat units of the 3rd Infantry Division.

Later, during the battles of Najaf, Karbala, Al Hilla and the Baghdad International Airport we were attached to the 101 Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Shortly after the regime collapse on Good Friday, we moved to Balad Airfield northeast of Baghdad. We were responsible for the security of the installation and I spent a significant amount of time establishing the perimeter, standing up and training a guard force.

This was very important - security of the airfield had to be high before the Air Force could allow its aircraft to land. The first C-130 coming in was a sight I will not forget. C5A Galaxy and C-17 aircraft now routinely land at this installation.

I also spent a significant amount of time

excitement, we were shot at frequently while conducting the operations.

On May 21, we were ordered to Hibaniyah Airfield, which is about 6 miles west of Fallujah. We again were the Base Operations Center tasked with securing the airfield. Once again the perimeter and guard posts were established.

On July 5 we were ordered to move yet again, attached to the 4th Infantry Division with the 10th Cavalry Regiment. We moved to a small installation near the Iranian border.

Fresh milk had to wait

I also worked closely with the Balad Ruz Police Department. They were an amazing group of officers.

I dropped in unannounced on my first visit. They had highly shined shoes, sharp creases in their uniforms and better haircuts than some of our guys.

That first impression indicated that they were dedicated professionals. They told me of a big problem that they had and asked me to help. The problem was that they were experiencing attacks on Police Headquarters about three times a week.

The 125-man department had only two rifles and three handguns to defend themselves with - at $87 per month for a patrolman. They had turned all of their weapons in to our combat forces during the early days of the war.

A week later I was able to deliver 150 AK47 rifles and about 10,000 rounds of ammunition. The next morning, 125 police officers were out on the main street in the market armed with the new rifles. They never were attacked again.

I credit their actions for the fact that our installation was never attacked after they were armed. They proved to be a dedicated group of professional, disciplined and well-trained police officers.

They are also good friends who I trusted with my life.

What was it like?

The weather was hot and there was a lot of dust. To go outside in a major sandstorm was a life-threatening event.

The first 10 days of August it got up to 140 degrees and hotter. We were short on sleep and we did our laundry by hand in a bucket. Showers were a luxury.

Fresh milk had to wait until I got home. Cold water was a luxury, and oh so good. We worked through it all.

In December and January, it rained quite a bit and there was a lot of fog. The temperature got down to about 38 degrees at night.

Still, we conducted our convoy escorts and we froze. Being 38 degrees and wet at 60 mph in an open vehicle isn't something I would recommend.

While I was gone...


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