Isle native leads river patrols in Iraq

[thedrifter]

Isle native leads river patrols in Iraq
By Cpl. Adam C. Schnell
Correspondent
Published January 3, 2006
Galveston County Daily News

HADITHA DAM, IRAQ — In Iraq, a land made of mostly sand, rock and extremely hot temperatures, the average person might not think that there was much need for boats.

The two major rivers that run through Iraq — Tigris and Euphrates — are the lifeblood of this arid land.

In addition to water for irrigating the crops, the rivers support several hydroelectric plants like the Haditha dam, and boats are an important part of keeping the dam safe from insurgents.

That’s why more than 80 Marines with the Dam Security Unit patrol the waters around the hydroelectric power plant every day.

Thanks to them, the dam continues to supply power to thousands of Iraqi people and safely house Coalition Forces operating in the area.

“We patrol the water around the dam at least once or twice a day to make sure there is no illegal boat traffic or vessel-born (improvised explosive devices) that could damage the dam,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Lockwood, 26, a Galveston native and section leader for the unit.

The Marines’ boats operate on both sides of the dam.

The Marines have a team that operates on the Euphrates River and one that operates on the man-made reservoir called Lake Qadisiyah.

Currently attached to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, the unit is made up of mostly reservists, hailing from reserve stations all around the country and from all different job fields, who volunteered to operate the boats.

“In this unit, we have trackers, gunners, mechanics, operators, supply guys, optics techs, lots of different talents,” said Lockwood. “It is great because people also use their civilian careers to help the mission. We are a self-sufficient unit.”

The unit also has a few active-duty Marines. Four of them were part of an active-duty small craft unit that operated in Iraq before it was decommissioned a few months ago.

“The small craft guys bring expertise to the unit because they have been doing it for some time,” Lockwood said. “The same guys that are here with us were ones that taught at the school where we all learned how to operate the boats.”

Before members of the unit deployed to Iraq, they traveled from their hometowns to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., for training. They spent more than three months learning how to operate, maintain and perform missions aboard the $750,000 boats.

“We learned how to perform combat missions and do evasive maneuvers with the boats,” Lockwood said. “These boats are pretty amazing in the water.”

The boats come with twin turbo-charged diesel engines that give the boats more than 850 horsepower.

At full throttle with a combat load, the riverine craft can do about 40 mph.

“Even though the boats are really heavy, we can go from full throttle to a complete stop in three boat lengths,” said Lockwood.

For Marines like Lance Cpl. Jose N. Loya, an Amarillo native and bow gunner for the unit, coming out to Iraq to be part of the unit has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Who would’ve thought someone from Amarillo, Texas, with no bodies of water for hours, would spend seven months in Iraq doing boat missions almost everyday?” Loya asked.

Ellie

[greensideout]

850 HP. I'd like that under my hood.