Bucca units move detainees outside the wire

Spc. Andrew Alexander, Fond du Lac, scans the roads from the gunner's turret of a Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle. Army photos by Spc. Tyler Lasure.



A little more information has trickled out about the changing missions of some Wisconsin National Guard soldiers who were deployed to run detention camps at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq.

The State Journal first reported on July 29 that some units were transporting detainees out of the Bucca detention centers, which are scheduled to be closed soon. During a press conference, Col. Steven Bensend, top commander of 3,300 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers in Iraq, downplayed the hazards of the missions, noting that personnel in bases also face threats, for example from explosives fired from a distance. Bensend also said insurgents attack larger-scale targets more often than transport operations.

After the press conference a National Guard spokesman said Bensend would not elaborate on the missions. Yesterday, the Army distributed a press release about the operations, which are being undertaken by Janesville's Company A, 132nd Brigade Support Battalion, and Fond du Lac's Company C, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry.

When the detainees are finally loaded onto buses at the end of the day, Charlie Company takes charge. The desert sun is already setting when soldiers perform the last pre-combat checks on their Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles. They shovel down a meal, load their weapons and roll out. It is going to be a long night, and everything needs to go right.

Charlie Company provides security for the convoy from Bucca to a military flight line. Attacks on the convoy aren't the only thing these soldiers need to prepare for; should a disturbance occur on a busload of detainees, the soldiers would be required to restore order.

Camp Bucca, once the largest detainee facility in the world, is being emptied and converted to other uses. Under an agreement with Iraq, the U.S. military is relinquishing control of thousands of detainees. Detainees typically are taken to Camp Cropper, the central booking facility for U.S. military detainees, for release or transfer to Iraqi custody, the Army has said.
-Steve

Wisconsin soldiers hold hill in southern Iraq

Staff Sgt. William Poor is in charge of a recon unit stationed on Safwan Hill, about 6,676 miles from home in Juneau, Wisconsin. The National Guard released this video and the accompanying photos yesterday. You can read the National Guard press release here.



The press release includes photos of some of the soldiers from the units on the hill. They are based in Appleton and Fond du Lac. All the images were made by Specialist Tyler Lasure.


Spc. Stephan McEssey, Fond du Lac, keeps watch from the outpost atop of Safwan Hill. McEssey and other Company C soldiers provide a bird's-eye view for troops down below.












Staff Sgt. Poor (left), shows Command Sgt. Maj. Edgar Hansen (right) around the outpost. Hansen is based in Baghdad.













The brothers of Safwan Hill: Specialist Kyle Bestul (right) and Specialist Kory Bestul (left) of New Holstein.














Pfc. Kevin Lewis, Kaukauna, mans an M-240B machine gun at one of the guard towers on the hill.











The units on Safwan Hill near Camp Bucca are Company C, 2nd Battalion, 127th Infantry, Fond du Lac, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2-127, Appleton- Steve