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Monday, June 27, 2005
Unit’s headquarters burns; cause unknown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Curtis Compton/AJC
Sgt. Timothy Chipman of Chatsworth, Ga., mans a machine gun and keeps an eye on the fire.
Forward Operating Base Michael, Iraq — A day after fire gutted his unit’s operations center here, Lt. Col. John King described the damage as a “minor inconvenience.â€?
“We continue fighting the war,â€? said King, commander of 1st Battalion, 108th Armor Regiment. “It’s not affecting operations at all. We’re still doing as many patrols and before — and we may even do more.â€?
Soldiers from the battalion patrol a restive, mostly Sunni, area south of Baghdad where attacks on American troops occur almost daily.
No one was killed or injured in the fire, the cause of which was still unknown Monday.
The blaze started in a portion of the former chicken processing plant that houses female soldiers and quickly spread through a warren of wood-partitioned living quarters. Then it engulfed the adjoining tactical operations center where sensitive communications equipment and records are stored.
Soldiers were able to save much of the communications gear and records, said King, 41, Doraville’s police chief in civilian life.
The yellow, two-story brick building had recently been rewired and was being repainted inside. Less than a third of the living area was occupied at the time of the fire.
“We were being cautious by not reoccupying the space until we were sure it was safe,� King said. “That caution paid off. We’re very fortunate that no one was hurt.�
Most of the soldiers at Michael live in tents and more tents were being erected Monday to house those who were displaced.
Some soldiers lost nearly all of their personal belongings in the fast-moving fire. A Sudanese translator attached to the unit said he lost more than $20,000 in cash. He said he kept the money in his room because his country doesn’t have a reliable banking system.
The battalion planned to send soldiers to the Camp Liberty post exchange, a Wal-Mart-sized general store at a sprawling U.S. military base about 30 miles away, to replace whatever they can.
Sgt. Michael Wells, 35, of Pickens County, said his personal belongings were saved by other soldiers who hauled them out of the building shortly after the fire began.
“I thought I’d lost the box with pictures of my wife and children,� he said. “Before the building filled with smoke, people went in and grabbed whatever they could. Everybody was helping everybody.�
King said most of the still-smoldering chicken factory is a total loss. But a portion of it can be reused as a command center.
“We’ll re-occupy some of the space,� he said, “and bulldoze the rest.�
