Rich Brant
Sgt. Rich Brant performs his duties on the largest fuel farm in Iraq.
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Guard serving in a different Iraq
Local soldiers report changes since first tour
by Brent Shrum, Kootenai Valley Record
August 1, 2009
Local National Guard troops serving in Iraq are finding the country a very different place than it was during their first tour of duty in 2004.
"Iraq has stepped up so much as a country, and they want to step up so much more," said Sgt. Rich Brant of Libby. "The need for military presence has lessened and lessened."
Brant and his wife Amber, also a sergeant in the 639th Combat Service Support Co., are home on a two-week leave with about four months to go in their yearlong deployment.
Since arriving in Iraq earlier this year, their unit has spent most of its time running the largest fuel farm in the country on a base bigger than Libby, which in turn is swallowed up by the sprawl of Baghdad – a city bigger than New York, Rich noted.
"We’re like a bulk gas station," Amber said.
"A really big Exxon," Rich added.
In 2004, the unit was often on the move, transporting fuel all across southern Iraq. This time around, the company’s duties have settled into a routine that rarely takes it off base. While it’s certainly safer, it can get monotonous at times, Rich said.
"Every day’s the same day," he said. "It’s ‘Groundhog Day’ all over."
The Brants work a 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift. After getting up and eating breakfast, they board a bus that takes them across the base to work. Trading places with the previous shift, they start out by checking the giant bags that contain 50,000 or 210,000 gallons of fuel. They look for leaks and blisters and inspect the glue that holds the bags together.
Then they walk the fuel lines between the bags and the distribution area, again checking for leaks. They check the pumps and filters on the distribution equipment, performing maintenance as required, and go over the unit’s vehicles. Three or four times a week they take a truck to fuel up equipment at the base’s supply warehouse.
Rich said he’s seen big changes in Iraq since his first tour five years ago. The Iraqi military and police have done much to stop the violence and restore order, and private contractors have made great progress in repairing the country’s infrastructure, he said.
Around 30 of the 639th’s 120 soldiers are from Lincoln County, with the rest coming from the Kalispell and Flathead areas. The unit was deployed in January for up to 400 days of active duty service.
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Editor’s Note: See the July 28, 2009 edition of the Kootenai Valley Record for the printed version of this story. The Kootenai Valley Record publishes once a week, on Tuesdays, in Libby, Montana. They are a locally owned community newspaper, located at 403 Mineral Avenue in Libby. For in-county and out-of-county subscription information, call 406-293-2424, or e-mail kvrecord@gmail.com.
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