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thedrifter
02-10-06, 06:16 AM
Major's the man who ensures two bases in Iraq run smoothly
ARTICLE BY FRANK GREEN, PHOTOS BY CLEMENT BRITT
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF
Friday, February 10, 2006

Company C

BAGHDAD -- Maj. Michael D. Martin, a Hanover County native, was once jokingly dubbed the "Mayor of Baghdad."

It's not an inappropriate moniker. Hundreds of soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines, as well as contractors from all over the world, rely on him to help get their jobs done.

Martin is one of more than 700 members of the Richmond-based 80th Institutional Training Division sent to Iraq last year. Some 160 are from the Richmond-Petersburg area. Many are now serving with the Multi-National Security Transition CommandIraq, or MNSTC-I.

They have been here since August and are scattered all over the country, thus far suffering one dead and 17 wounded.

Officially, Martin serves as the MNSTC-I headquarters' commandant, a formal name, he says, for gofer, or problem-solver. Martin is the man who makes sure two bases in Baghdad's International Zone, Phoenix and Black Hawk, run smoothly.

Security at the bases is provided by armed and highly trained Fijians hired so MNSTC-I soldiers can be free to perform their duties. MNSTC-I's mission is the key to pulling U.S. troops out of Iraq: training and equipping the Iraqi army and police.

"Problems walk through my office every day and I have to have solutions," Martin said. "I try and maintain a good relationship with everybody I work with because everybody is a resource . . . when I need a favor, I can get a favor."

Martin's duties range from as important as making sure soldiers stay qualified on their weapons to as mundane as assigning parking spaces. He must also make sure there is clean water and working utilities.

Even the construction of what used to be called a mess hall and is now known as a DFAC, or dining facility, is one of his headaches. He must deal with the needs of contractors and their employees from as far away as South Africa, India and Australia.

Martin, 41, was born in Mechanicsville but didn't stay there long. "My dad's a preacher. We moved all over the country," he said. He started high school in Alabama and finished in Texas.

His parents then moved back to the Richmond area. Martin obtained a degree in criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1990. He now lives in Chesterfield County with his wife, Rebecca, and two children, Miranda, 10, and Michael, 14.

In civilian life he is the assistant superintendent for administration at the James River Juvenile Detention Center which holds 50 to 60 juveniles, most of them awaiting trial. He enlisted in the Army in 1984 and eventually joined the 80th division in the Reserves.

He seems to have boundless energy and a good sense of humor. Iraq, he quipped, is a place where "you can take away some new friendships, some good friends and a 'Rolex.' For 30 to 50 bucks, everybody owns two or three."

But he is aware that the living conditions for troops in Baghdad are better than those afforded other members of the 80th, many of whom are on remote posts, some living with the Iraqi army.

But life in Baghdad's International Zone is not luxurious.

Electricity and hot water are not taken for granted. And while attacks are now rare, there is an atmosphere of war. Everywhere are bombed buildings, concrete blast walls, razor wire, sandbags, guard towers and flood lights, and the frequent roar of helicopters.

Among other things, Martin reviews all the contracts of all the contractors. "I need to make sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. If they're supposed to provide something and they don't . . . then I need to pass that information on to the folks that handle the money," he said.

He meets with contractors and subcontractors to tackle the problems they bring up and find solutions.

If an area needs special cleaning prior to the visit of a VIP, or special vehicles or security escorts are needed, he coordinates. He also handles purchase orders. "Millions of dollars have come across my desk," he said.

Martin volunteered to go to Iraq. He said he had a choice of volunteering and serving with his comrades in the 80th, or risk being called up later and being attached to a unit where he would be an outsider.

"And I believe in the mission and what we're doing over here," he said. "It was one of the biggest opportunities I've had since I've been in the service to make an impact."

Martin said one of the job's rewards is listening to Iraqis who appreciate what the United States is doing.

A recent poll by the University of Maryland and the Center on Policy Attitudes found that a large majority of Iraqis want a timeline set for the withdrawal of U.S. forces, and 47 percent even support attacks on U.S. forces.

But the poll also found that most Iraqis are optimistic about their country's future and think the cost of overthrowing Saddam Hussein has been worth it. The Iraqis who Martin talks to thank him for the opportunity to have a democratic society, he said.

Nevertheless, Martin said, there are problems.

He said Iraqi police who demand contrived fines have stopped some contractors. "There's a little element of corruption and that element wasn't necessarily there before," he said. "Now we're trying to clean that up, but it takes time."

Iraqis hold many contractor jobs, he said. "If we don't keep them employed, believe me, there's other employment for them that we really don't want them to have."

Martin usually works 15 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week with a half-day off on Friday or Saturday.

"I miss my two kids growing up on me and, of course, I miss my wife," he said, though he did get to go home for the holidays. "I'm absolutely looking forward to going home. I plan on taking at least a month off so that I can take a vacation with the family."

He said his income has improved while on duty in Iraq, but he asked: "What is a year out of your children's life and the life of your family? What is that worth? You really can't put any amount of money on it."

Ellie