07/06/2026
OIF 1 Logistic Support Activity Dogwood 2003
Logistical Support Activity (LSA) Dogwood was established in 2003 during the initial phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 (OIF-1) as a critical logistical hub on the western side of the Euphrates River, Anbar Province, Iraq. As a forward operating base (FOB) situated between Fallujah and Karbala, it provided essential supply, maintenance, and support services to coalition forces as they moved toward Baghdad and during the immediate post-invasion stabilization period.
First, T72s littered the shoulders of ASR Jackson, Gun Trucks, hillbilly armor was a must; Gas, Gas, Gas, as Sirens alarmed us of an NBC attack, fleas continue to bite, and the temperatures are rising.
Secondly, Mortars came in and shut down Dogwood. Security towers were erected, numerous vehicle patrols were conducted outside the wire, and Quick Reaction Forces (QRF) were there for reinforcement. Then there was “Larry the Lizard” sun baking on the Euphrates River bank.
The operational environment surrounding Forward Operating Base Dogwood encompassed the arid, flat plains of northern Babil Province, approximately 40 miles southwest of Baghdad, where expansive desert terrain provided scant natural barriers against enemy observation and fire. This open landscape, interspersed with sparse vegetation and irrigation canals along the Euphrates River valley, heightened exposure to indirect fire from mortars and rockets launched by insurgents from elevated or concealed positions up to several kilometers away. Access roads, such as those connecting to main supply routes like Route Tampa, traversed vulnerable stretches prone to improvised explosive device (IED) emplacement due to the lack of defensible chokepoints or dense cover. Human terrain factors included a dense rural and semi-urban population exceeding 2 million in Babil Province, dominated by Shia Arab majorities but featuring Sunni Arab tribal enclaves with historical insurgent affiliations, particularly in the "Triangle of Death" subregion encompassing towns like Iskandariyah and Mahmudiyah. Tribal loyalties and clan-based networks often complicated local intelligence gathering, as segments of the Sunni minority harbored sympathies for anti-coalition militants, enabling safe havens for weapons caching and fighter infiltration amid agricultural fields and villages. Constant force protection measures, including patrols and checkpoints, were essential to mitigate risks from civilian-embedded threats, though population density facilitated insurgent blending and intelligence leaks. Climatic conditions imposed severe logistical and physiological strains, with summer temperatures routinely exceeding 120°F from June to September, accelerating wear on vehicles and electronics and contributing to heat-related injuries among personnel during extended outdoor duties. Seasonal dust storms, known as shamals, reduced visibility to near zero for hours or days, grounding aviation assets, clogging air filters, and exacerbating respiratory issues in an already dusty environment that demanded rigorous maintenance protocols to sustain operational readiness. These environmental adversities compounded the base's isolation, limiting rapid reinforcement and amplifying the need for self-reliant sustainment amid persistent threat profiles.
The Division Support Command (DISCOM), 1st Armored Division, quickly realized that, to be relevant in the next fight, the division's rear command post needed to be reorganized to support many operating environments. Planning this reorganization involved identifying missions that the DISCOM could face in the future. Many of the missions identified involved operating apart from the 1st Armored Division in support of other units that require a brigade headquarters with CSS capabilities. From these missions, four operating environments were deemed the “most likely” and used as the basis for the command post’s reorganization. These include the traditional linear battlefield division rear command post, which is a combination of the DISCOM headquarters, the division materiel management center, the division medical operations center (DMOC), and a large slice of division staff (G–1, G–4, combat support, and Corps Service Support (CSS) elements). The intermediate staging base in a remote area would serve as a logistics support base for deploying units in transit to a combat theater or other areas of operations. The forward staging base close to airport or seaport facilities, which would enable the linkup of equipment and personnel for reception, staging, onward movement, and integration operations for incoming forces. Both the intermediate staging base and forward staging base environments could be supported with DISCOM’s current manning and capabilities. The forward operating base in direct support of combat operations, where logistics command and control are needed, and no terrain management is needed beyond a local perimeter. The forward operating base environment can require a sustainment brigade headquarters to provide logistics command and control for multiple divisions. The DISCOM headquarters, which is designed to support a division, would need augmentation to perform this task because of the loss of division staff and the more robust and complex logistics mission.
April 2003
LSA Dogwood presented innumerable challenges to the protection and sustainment of its forces while completing its support mission. While tasked to support operations from 35 kilometers southwest of Baghdad, DISCOM Soldiers had to survive the harsh environment. Severe weather changes, storms, and the unconventional nature of the enemy’s threat necessitated site improvements and increased force protection measures. Division leaders decided to move DISCOM and the 123rd Main Support Battalion to the airport during the summer. Combat convoy operations along ASR Sue and Tampa, leading to Baghdad, encountered over 150 different attacks, including small arms, improvised explosive devices, and rocket-propelled gr***des, during daily supply runs. It was not uncommon for the unit’s military police detachment to discover 155mm artillery rounds daisy-chained together with remote detonation devices. Convoys were ambushed during daylight and darkness. The LSA was also subject to enemy attack. An estimated 62 enemy rounds landed within the base. Two Soldiers were killed during the eight months of logistical operations. While enemy fire was not always accurate, their activity and tactics were effective. Concrete bunkers were critical for protection. Dogwood endured several attacks before receiving “Firefinder” radar and a platoon of Paladin Howitzers. Once in place, Soldiers were able to return fire, and the LSA operated a firebase while performing its logistical mission. Despite the hardships of the terrain and climate and constant enemy activity, DISCOM continued to improve life on Dogwood by constructing a gym, a dining facility, and a post exchange. DISCOM Soldiers enjoyed evening concerts by the 1AD jazz band and other Soldier bands. DISCOM was also actively involved in the mission to rebuild Iraq and improve the quality of life for the people in the Euphrates River Valley. Locally, DISCOM Civil Affairs Teams labored in the Jarf Al Sakhar area to improve living conditions for the local population. Daily interaction between the CA Team and the local community provided the opportunity for the local business people to sell their goods and for Soldiers to learn Arabic customs while providing community services like schools, potable water stations, and a medical clinic. DISCOM also set up the first Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Training Academy, training more than 2,000 guardsmen. When the time came to close, Soldiers worked to return the LSA in better condition than they received it. There were several acres of raw materials, machinery, and buildings that belonged to the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Minerals and Industry. Several weeks of manual labor took apart tents, bunkers, concertina wire, barriers, and guard points. Soldiers collected refuse and disposed of hazardous materials. Once the work was completed and inspected, representatives of the Ministry of Oil and the Ministry of Minerals and Industry came to sign for the land. Security was the main concern for the Ministry of Oil official. The ministry hired local residents to provide security to the base. DISCOM had a very positive impact on the welfare of the Iraqi people and the restructuring of Iraq. Community residents presented the DISCOM commander with expressions of gratitude for the unit’s efforts in the area. The efforts of DISCOM Soldiers will be remembered for years to come in the Euphrates River valley area near Dogwood. The motivation and resources of the DISCOM have influenced the Iraqi people to continue progress in their communities and restore their lives, free from oppression and fear.
The 485th Corps Support Battalion hands off the Convoy Support Center Cedar, MSR Tampa mission to the 260th Quartermaster Battalion, the 26th Quartermaster Company packs up, and the entire 485th CSB jumps to LSA Dogwood. Operations relocated to CSC Cedar II, Camp Adder, Tillil Air Base, twenty minutes east in April 2003. The 685th Transportation Company (Light/Medium) was assigned on 15 April 2003 to the battalion at CSC Cedar, MSR Tampa. The unit initially supported the 101st Airborne Division in moving equipment and CONEX containers. Also, convoying adjacent to the Jordan border area, dropping loads of resupplies. Arriving at LSA Dogwood, our unit equipment and containers were moved from CSC Cedar to the attack positions within 48 hours. We relocated our headquarters to an incomplete new electric power plant built by the Russians. The technology was from the 70s, as the fuses were still glass tubes. As we supported the attack defense positions along the perimeter with NBC detection and decontamination equipment, SINCGARS radios, PLGRs, maps, night vision goggles, casualty collection points, and satellite communications systems. While providing support to Cedar II, Scania, Camp Charlie, Camp Delta, Camp Duke, Camp Echo, Abu Ghraib, Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), and others, with an area expanding the footprint from the Kuwait Border to LSA Anaconda.
May 2003
WARLOCK
What the DISCOM failed to achieve was the issue of WARLOCK to subordinate units. A big area of consternation with DISCOM, the WARLOCK was designed to protect CJTF-7 convoys on the roads of Iraq, but was instead left idle in their staff Hummers with 25 +/-. Because you know they didn’t log in the miles as a truck company during convoy operations outside the gates of Dogwood. The 16th Corps Support Group was issued three! That equals one for the 485th Corps Support Battalion, one for the 541st Maintenance Battalion, and one for the 181st Transportation Battalion.
16 May 2003
On 16 May, SGT Arnold Byani and SGT Jamvis Armor, 418th Transportation Company (POL), M818 Truck Tractor, were issued in Kuwait from Storage stocks. Then the Truckmaster had the task to train and license the entire company within a 48-hour period.
While in operation and coming from LSA Anaconda on the Main Supply Route (MSR), Tampa then exited off on to the Army Supply Route (ASR) Jackson headed toward LSA Dogwood as the Iraqi insurgents fired a Rocket Propelled Gr***de (RPG), adjacent to an Iraqi Car garage, causing the M818 and POL tanker to be engulfed in flames as the tanker uncoupled from the fifth wheel and slid 75 yards away. The M818 rolled left and sideways, stopping near the garage, which was now engulfed in flames. Disciplined and trained, Sergeant Byani pulled SGT Armor out of the cab to safety and provided first aid and a tourniquet, as insurgent bullets riddled the truck, striking the driver's side fuel tank, now pouring JP-8 on the ground. The fuel catches fire and ignites the canvas cab cover, spare tire, and rear axle's tires as black plumes of smoke fill the air, and then the battery explodes from the high temperatures. The convoy lead Gun truck provided cover as the second gun truck stopped near the village buildings and provided suppressive fire. The remaining convoy troops and vehicles remain on the east side of the Euphrates River and take up defensive positions. Sergeant Willie Walton, in a lead Hummer loaded with troops, engages their weapons toward the insurgents and leads the front echelon of the convoy out of the kill zone and to LSA Dogwood. The M16 clips inside the disabled, burning M818 truck cab, loaded with rounds, cook off. The pusillanimous insurgents fled the area and retreated deep into the village. Walton then collects waiting at the battalion TOC additional combat lifesavers, and returns to the site with two Quick Reaction Force (QRF) Hummers loaded to the gills in tow. As they arrive, the QRF secures the area of the road and adjacent village homes that are lined with palm trees. Both troops are loaded into a vehicle, and Walton rushes back toward Dogwood. Upon returning, at the main entry gate, 1SG Cory Woodard and SSG Bernreuther es**rt the vehicle with SGT Armor and SGT Byani to the 28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH), Echelon III. They were exhausted, frightened, confused, and Armor was wounded. He survived.
As issues at Dogwood Village, and going door to door. We enhanced the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) teams. The pernicious insurgents kept us on our watch. The 26th Quartermaster Company ROUPU systems utilized the Euphrates River as our water source. Local bridges and security for all convoy traffic passing to and from the MSR Tampa. Combat Lifesaver (CLS) training and certification for one per ten Soldiers, issue CLS kits, and stretchers. All the while supporting Camp Bucca, Enemy Prison of War (EPW) compound 800th Military Police Brigade with all Classes of supply, maintenance equipment, repair, and Class IX at Umm Qasr. In March and April 2003, some 258 EPWs were housed at this location. There were an estimated 7,500 EPWs in US-controlled facilities.
77th Maintenance Company (Direct Support), CPT Lueders, and 1SG Terry Kegler dominated the Direct Support maintenance world of 2,000 work orders, while at LSA Dogwood alone, hauled out 125 Non-operational vehicles and other equipment back to the rear to the Repair Activity Depot (Task Force AVCRAD), Arifjan Depot, Kuwait.
Arriving from LSA Bushmaster to LSA Dogwood was the 181st Transportation Battalion, AC, Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany, whose primary mission was to fill the fuel bag farm on Bushmaster and provide support to the 101st Airborne Division's various Forward Arm and Refuel Points, and deliver food and am******on for the 3rd Infantry Division (3ID). However, the HETs were still working in DS to various 3ID and Corps separate units, and they would be attached to various units for days at a time. Because of the scarcity of In Transit Visibility (ITV) devices, it was very difficult to track these vehicles. The loss of a significant number of fuel tankers along the cross-country movement on G-Day-G+2. While the soldiers had recovered, the tankers, mostly M818s, remained mired along the route. The HETs were moving critical combat engineer assets, as well as M-1s and Bradleys. A small number of trucks from the 377th Transportation Company (HET) were in direct support of a special operations task force that had the mission to take down key members of the regime, and they drove through the firefights on the streets of Baghdad in late March and early April. They also moved equipment to BIAP and were there during many of the early counterattacks on BIAP.
Within a few weeks, we jumped again to LSA Dogwood, which was the site of the 3ID Division Rear Headquarters and the 24th CSG headquarters. While there, we supported the fuel bag farm on Dogwood, a bag farm on the recently established Forward Logistics Base ELM with the 101st Airborne Division just south of Baghdad. As the 3ID was fighting for the city, the 181st Trans Bn was hauling critical fuel to support the fight. Many missions involved arduous trips to the bag farm near Camp Adder, Tallil Air Base, because the theater and other Corps POL units could not push adequate amounts of fuel to the bags on Dogwood. There was no mistaking the importance of the mission as we were located on the same map sheet as the United States Government's primary objective, Baghdad.
The 51st Trans Co continued to provide critically short dry cargo transport to the most forward-deployed forces. If soldiers in 3ID ate it or drank it, the odds were that the 51st Trans Co hauled it to them. They also executed critical am******on moves, and in particular, they supported a high-priority push to the 82nd Airborne Division in their bitter fight for As Samawah.
Shortly after the battalion established itself at Dogwood, the S3 moved forward with the 3rd COSCOM ACP to the next significant, and eventually permanent, base at Balad South East Airfield about 1.5 hours north of Baghdad. The base was named LSA Anaconda. We coordinated for the rapid establishment of a 1.2 million-gallon fuel bag farm, pushed 40 trucks north to Mosul, and supported the deployment of the 101st and the reception of the 4th Infantry Division. When the 4ID arrived south of Baghdad on Heavy Equipment Transporters, they were greeted by their divisional Air Defense battalion, and the 181st Trans Bn. We provided rapid refuel for the HETs as they dropped their loads on the northbound lanes, turned through the median, fueled in less than 20 minutes, and departed for Kuwait.
In early May, the 181st Transportation Battalion jumped to LSA Anaconda at Balad Air Base, located 42 miles north of Baghdad, and was dramatically reorganized to become the Corps' primary dry cargo unit. We gave up control of all POL units and took command and control of four Palletized Load System (PLS) companies, two medium companies, two light medium companies, one provisional truck unit with 100 Iraqi contracted trucks, one trailer transfer detachment, and the headquarters detachment. At one point, our task organization included 15 units and over 1500 soldiers.
June 2003
A Change of Command ceremony was conducted with outgoing LTC John McGillis and incoming LTC Paul Brown. Attending was BG Charlie Flecher, Commander, 3rd COSCOM.
At LSA Dogwood, Am******on Supply Point (ASP), the Captured Am******on Holding Area (CAHA), which during my time there entered the compound dozens of times during operations. The facility exploded one day in June 2003, sending debris all over LSA Dogwood. Soldiers fleeing the area and headed for overhead shelter in foxholes, concrete barriers, or hard buildings. The Frog, SCUD missiles, and white phosphorous rounds captured and or located in caches around the sector were collected and processed at LSA Dogwood. It burnt for eleven hours. There were 250 tons of am******on, rockets, and plastic explosives. Cook-offs happened throughout the day. Many of the thousands of 50-gallon barrels had an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) seal on them.
Go to: https://vimeo.com/180251031.
HMX, also called octogen, is a powerful and relatively insensitive nitroimine high explosive, chemically related to RDX. The compound's name is the subject of much speculation, having been variously listed as High Melting Explosive, High-velocity Military Explosive, or High-Molecular-weight RDX.
The Defense Transportation Reporting and Control System (DTRACS) was a tracking and control system used by United States military units in Europe and during OIF. The system is actually a Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) product from Omnitracs, and is in use by commercial trucking fleets throughout the world. Initially, when the system was first in use by the US Army in Europe (USAREUR), it was run through an Alcatel contract out of Paris with a data feed to the USAREUR G4 Logistics Automation Division (LAD). DTRACS was highly used in truck operation 24/07/365. At its height, there were three server stacks for processing DTRACS data. One stack for European devices, another for devices in SWA, and a third for receiving a split-feed from the KBR (Kellogg Brown and Root) owned and operated server. While KBR had its own vehicles and server, all three systems used the same satellite for their communications. As of January 2010, the KBR solution still exists, but was moved to Ramstein Air Base, Kaiserslautern, Germany.
Motor Stables
Company vehicle operators conduct maintenance on their vehicles. On paper, the NCOs have the operators inspect each and every piece of equipment. Performing Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS), recording any faults, shortcomings, and deadline items for repair. HUMMVs, LMTVs, and even Heavy Equipment Transporters (HETs) are inspected thoroughly. The heavier the payloads, the more grease is utilized. Adding the up-armored kits was another added bonus. Weapon systems, added other stuff like the Rhino arm, mine equipment, and the Military Tracking System (MTS), a big bonus to keep everyone alive.
Cleaning those gun trucks of all the brass was another story.
SGT Orenthial J. Smith, 21, Allendale, South Carolina, was killed in action on 22 June 2003, Company A, 123rd Main Support Battalion, AC, Dexheim, Germany; killed by enemy fire on June 22, in Baghdad, Iraq. Smith was an 88M serving as a vehicle operator in a convoy that was ambushed; he had been promoted to Sergeant that morning prior to dispatch. Buried at the Saint Mary Baptist Church Cemetery, Martin, Allendale County, South Carolina.
June was filled with insurgent Motor fire, killing one Soldier on the east side of Dogwood.
July 2003
On 14 July, a 77th Maintenance Company, Change of Command, outgoing CPT Lueders and incoming CPT Ben Lipari.
PFC Valdez, 77th Maintenance Company, while working as a ground guide for T-Barrier placement, when the safety cables broke landing on him. He was MEDEVAC’d to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Hospital, Landstuhl, Germany. He survived.
On 22 July, a 16th Corps Support Group, Change of Command, with outgoing COL Joseph Brown and incoming COL Michael Sevcik.
1245th Transportation Company (PLS) was now line hauling Class V to LSA Victory at Log Base Seitz, FOB Pecan at Al Taqaddum, FOB Ridgeway at An Najaf, and to FOB Junction City, Ri**es West in Al Asad. Then the empty long-haul drive back to the Class V, Theater Distribution Center (TDC), Doha, Kuwait. Other types of Class V were also loaded at the Arifjan Depot, Kuwait. The issue with this “THUNDERBIRD” PLS company is that obstinacy would impress subsequent military historians.
77th Maintenance convoy support, SGT Mikel Fury with his Wrecker MST #319, made nearly every convoy supporting Dogwood to Kuwait, wrecker and quick fixes while on MSR Tampa and back. Missions included convoys to BIAP, Anaconda, and Tikrit while receiving small arms fire, damaging the wrecker here and there.
On 22 July 2003, Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division killed Saddam Hussein’s sons Udai and Qusai in a 5-hour gun battle in Mosul. A son of Qusai and an Iraqi bodyguard were also killed; five other Iraqis and four U.S. soldiers were wounded.
CSM Coppock, 485th CSB, was designated as the forward lead element (FLE) of a 62 Soldier unit and six Iraqi civilian U.S. Government-approved contractors for a total renovation of facilities, barracks, motor parks, warehouses, latrines, and shower rooms at Camp Cooke, Taji, Iraq.
August 2003
PFC Pablo Manzano, AC, B Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, V Corps, Bamberg, Germany, died on 25 August 2003, of a non-combat weapons discharge in Logistical Support Area Dogwood, Iraq. Honor him so that he is not forgotten. He was 19, Heber, California. Buried at the Mountain View Cemetery, Calexico, Imperial County, California. RIP.
547th Transportation Company (Light), Specialist Darrell T. Dent was killed in action on 27 August 2003 while serving as a Motor Transport Operator operating his 5-ton truck, a M925, when an improvised explosive device struck his vehicle convoy in Southeast Arimaji, Iraq. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. Buried at Section 60, Site 7888, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia.
AT LSA DOGWOOD, Iraq:
Army LTG Ricardo Sanchez, Combined Joint Task Force 7 commanding general, took time on 4 August 2003, to talk to Marines of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, commending their work and answering their questions. Army supply convoys leaving Living Support Area Dogwood, an Army logistics base located 10 miles south of Baghdad that supports the Army's 1st Armored Division in Baghdad, were being attacked by regime loyalists and Islamic fundamentalists in the very north of the First Marine Expeditionary Force's area of operations. Task Force Scorpion, which put several First Marine Division infantry companies under the reserve LAR battalion, was formed in June to take the fight to the opposition. The task force comprises about 1,000 troops. "You guys are doing a fabulous job," said Sanchez. "You've taken a hot spot and calmed it down considerably. Don't for one second lose sight of the fact that this is part of the global war on terrorism. You cannot fail. "Unlike most of the Marines' areas, TF Scorpion's sector is close to Baghdad, in the northern part of the Babil Province. Instead of the large Shi'ite population found in the south, the area is populated by Sunni Muslims, who were favored under the rule of former dictator Saddam Hussein. "This is a low-intensity conflict," said Sanchez. "I think you know the enemy - former Saddam boys and girls. Foreign fighters are coming in from Syria as well. They all want to kill us. "Dealing with that threat is TF Scorpion's mission. "We're a terrorist magnet here," said Sanchez. "That's ok. We're ready to kill them, and you're doing that. We want to do it here, or we'll be fighting them in the United States. We don't want to do that; we saw what happened on September 11."As the coalition continues to engage the threat, as well as continue reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the threat to coalition forces diminishes. "Since we've killed (Saddam Hussein's sons) Uday and Qusay, the number of attacks has dropped," said Sanchez. "But it's not over. "General Sanchez told the assembled Marines that their experiences as Americans would help them to help shape a new, better Iraq. "There is no better military to send into this kind of environment than the U.S. military," said Sanchez. "The problems in the Middle East - it's about religion, it's about ethnicity, it's about politics. Look around you. You see blacks, Hispanics, Catholics, and Protestants all focused on defending the United States. People can't even understand how to do that. Try to bring some of your values, your ethics, over here, so these people can have a better country. "The general's comments were well received by the troops, who peppered him with questions about the overall situation in Iraq." It's motivating that a unit of such small size could do such a good job that a general in such an important position would notice and give thanks," said Sgt. Kristopher Bauer, 4th LAR Bn. vehicle commander, from Redding, Calif. "It gives great credit to the Marines that our efforts are making a difference."
The DISCOM also set up the first Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Training Academy, training more than 2,000 Iraqi guardsmen.
Key Occupants:
B Company, 54th Engineer Battalion
Bravo Company, 389th Combat Engineer Battalion, which built the first Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Training Facility at LSA Dogwood. 89th RSC operating under the 1st Armored Division "Old Ironsides", reigned victorious over the active-duty counterparts they were assigned to support.
Bravo Company bested their adversaries in nearly every event held for America's Independence Day Celebration. Events ranged from athletic competition, including horseshoes, volleyball, and the Hummer pull, to mental competitions, including board games, scavenger hunts, and the like. The overall victories that Bravo Company achieved that day secured the award of a streamer placed on the guidon, forever making their superiority known.
Division Support Command (DISCOM), 1st Armored Division, 123rd Main Support Battalion occupied the site from May to November 2003.
4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, US Marines.
16th Corps Support Group, AC, Hanau, Germany, COL Michael Sevcik and CSM Clyde Yarbrough.
22nd Signal Brigade, AC, COL Jeffrey Smith, provided a Node Center and satellite communications with V Corps.
28th Combat Support Hospital (CSH), Echelon III, AC, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, treated 7,920 patients in 132 days, a total of 1,867 were admitted, and 103 Soldiers had severe burns. Although a CSH is designed to care for patients until they can be stabilized and evacuated, usually within 1 to 3 days. Blackhawks flew out the most injured Soldiers. While other injured Soldiers were Medevac’d by C-130 and C-5 aircraft from the northern location at LSA Anaconda or the southern location at Camp Adder, Tillil Air Base, Iraq, landing at Ramstein Air Base, Meisenbach, Germany, and transported to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany. Burn patients were received at the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. Other patients were flown directly to facilities in the United States.
1-41st Artillery Brigade, AC, Babenhausen, Germany.
A Company, 54th Engineer Battalion, the 54th deployed with the 3rd Infantry Division to support the Liberation of Iraq. The unit controlled the initial breach into Iraq and installed assault bridges for the invasion. After shifting to stability operations, the 54th found and destroyed weapons caches and conducted engineer reconnaissance. Awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (Army), 2003.
123rd Main Support Battalion (MSB), AC, Anderson Barracks, Dexheim, Germany, had 211 pieces of rolling stock in a split base operation from Dogwood and Baghdad International Airport (BIAP), which included 23 Heavy Equipment Transporters (HETs), 33 cargo trucks, 33 stake-and-platform trailers, as well as our (inaudible) support vehicles. Corps supplies came into LSA Dogwood and then would be split out by our quartermaster and maintenance companies. We would haul the supplies up to the LSA at BIAP; from there, they would be farmed out to the Forward Support Battalions (FSBs) out with the brigades.
181st Transportation Battalion, AC, Coleman Barracks, Mannheim, Germany, LTC Chuck Maskell and CSM Ricky Driskell, and the 11th Transportation Company (HET), 51st Transportation Company (PLS), 296th Transportation Company, 377th Transportation Company (HET), 515th Transportation Company (POL), their short stay at Dogwood, 3-14 May 2003, then jumped to LSA Anaconda.
258th Rear Area Operations Center (RAOC) (USNG), the 27 Soldiers were responsible for base security at LSA Dogwood, and came across the looting at the village of Al Qaqaa during patrols through the area. The unit enlisted the help of troops of the 317th Support Center, AC, Wiesbaden, Germany, in securing the CAHA Am******on site.
307th Military Police Company
317th Support Center (Am******on)
440th Signal Battalion, AC, Darmstadt, Germany, arrived on 31 March 2003, provided tactical and strategic communications, providing vital network support.
485th Corps Support Battalion, AC, Hanau, Germany, LTC Paul Brown and CSM Everette Coppock III, and the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 485th Corps Support Battalion, 26th Quartermaster Company (DS), 71st Ordnance Company (DS) (MLRS), 77th Maintenance Company (DS), 157th Quartermaster Company, 217th Transportation Company (HET), 296th Transportation Company (POL), 418th Transportation Company (POL), 547th Transportation Company, 596th Maintenance Company (DS), and 1245th Transportation Company (PLS). Military Transition Teams (MiTT), training and development of the 901st Iraqi Provisional Truck Company (Light Truck) (M35A3) (Iraq). Three thousand Soldiers assigned.
After closing CSC Cedar and completing the jump to LSA Dogwood, the 648th Transportation Company (Light/Medium), 353rd Transportation Company (POL), USAR, Buffalo, Minnesota, and the 1555th Quartermaster Well Detachment, USNG, Dubuque, Iowa, returned to Camp Adder, Tillil Air Base. Supported the compound at Ain al-Asad Air Base as numerous convoys tracked through an enemy stronghold at Al-Fallujah where urban terrain ground Infantry combat Soldiers went door to door.
Our logistic 90-truck convoy, having to cross a single bridge over the Euphrates River bottlenecked on the north side entering Al-Fallujah, where you either went right or made a left turn. We always engaged targets in the truculence area as we crossed on the only road network on the ground, in three to five-story buildings, alleyways, and IEDs along the roadsides. Always on guard, our gun trucks did an outstanding job by taking out those targets in a high volume of firepower with M2s, M60s, and M203 gr***de launchers, communication up and down the convoy, and the pugnacious Soldiers from the "War Lion" battalion. Our circuitous route totaled 260 miles. Ambient temperatures are now reaching 122 to 128 degrees, while interior truck cabs reached 160 degrees. Water bottles were your friend.
501st Military Police Company provided security operations in and around the area, including the Euphrates River patrols.
535th Engineer Battalion, specialized in horizontal construction, including building roads, berms, improving helicopter landing pads, and constructing combat outposts.
549th Area Support Medical Company occupied the site from approximately March to June 2003. Providing resuscitative surgery, dental services, and combat stress control.
1123 Transportation Company, USNG, Blytheville, Arkansas, 3rd Inf DIV was mobilized for service in the Iraq War 21 years ago on February 11, 2003. Served in Kuwait and LSA Dogwood. First and second platoons hauled bottled water as the third platoon hauled bagged ice.
1st British Black Watch, Battle Group, D Company, the 1st Battalion The Black Watch, Royal Highland Regiment, LTC James Cowan, was conducting several vehicle checkpoints in an area east of the Euphrates along the ASR toward MSR Tampa. At this time, a su***de bomber drove his vehicle into the soldiers, detonating the device. The troops then came under sustained mortar fire. Three soldiers and one civilian interpreter were killed, and eight soldiers were wounded. Killed in action were SGT Stuart Gray, 31, Dunfermline, Fife, PTE Scott McCardle, 22, Dunfermline, Fife, and PTE Paul Lowe, 19, Glenrothe, Scotland.
