BAGHDADI, Iraq -- Marines with 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, and Iraqi contractors banded together to make repairs in the Baghdadi area following the destruction of the Wadi Hawran Bridge.
The bridge, which was recently destroyed by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device, was one of the main supply routes between Baghdadi and Albu Hyatt.
“We are here to provide security for the Iraqi contractors, while allowing them to rebuild and repair the bypass running along the bridge,” said Staff Sgt. Christian D. Shostak, a squad leader with Mobile Assault Platoon with Weapons Company.
The Marines, alongside members of the Iraqi Army, arrived in the earlier hours of the morning and set up security on all sides of the bridge. The area was kept completely secure for the contractors to work.
Engineers from 1st Combat Engineer Battalion arrived soon after to place barriers to prohibit anyone from entering the area. The concern during the operation was not only keeping out insurgents, but to also ensure safety for unsuspecting drivers.
“Basically, we are setting up a serpentine around the bridge to not only make it difficult to maneuver a vehicle through at high speeds, but to warn drivers about the bridge,” Lance Cpl. Tobias R. Plucinski, a motor transport operator attached to the engineers, said. “The barriers will be aligned to point in the direction of the bypass we are repairing close by.”
Iraqi contractors soon rolled in with trucks of gravel, and machinery for roadwork.
“This shows we will not stand for terrorists in our area,” said Abdel Jabbar Barzan Himreen Al-Oubeidi, an Iraqi contractor assisting with the project. “If they destroy something, we shall build it the next day. We will not back down.”
Young boys from ages six to twenty arrived to help with the project, showing that everyone in Baghdadi is willing to work hard to ensure that the insurgency does not thrive.
In the late afternoon, the process was complete and the bypass road was finished. The bridge was still damaged, but because of the perseverance of those who worked that day, the Iraqi people now had a way to travel between the two cities.
“The Iraqis have proven they can always rebuild no matter what the insurgents do to them,” said Shostak. “The insurgents thought they had hurt them, but they stood strong.”