Strategy in Iraq depends on Minnesota Guard unit

They do their work -- construction and electrical projects -- in some of the most dangerous spots in Baghdad. And those they serve couldn't be more grateful.

For the past eight months, a group of 155 soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard has been building "combat outposts" crucial to a new U.S. counterinsurgency process known as "clear and hold," in which soldiers station themselves in violence-prone areas rather than retreat at night to the safety of large bases.

The Minnesotans are from the Little Falls-based 851st Vertical Engineer Company.

Four of the major combat outposts that were staging areas for recent operations in Sadr City, a restive Baghdad neighborhood, were either built from the ground up or substantially improved by the 851st.

Thanks to these soldiers, the troops involved in building the "Sadr City Wall" now have a secure area where they can sleep, get a shower, eat a meal and even use the Internet.

There have been close calls.

Capt. Brian Winter, the unit's commander and a Maple Grove resident, said there has been an injury from a mortar attack. Their work has taken them places where private contractors cannot, or will not, go.

"It really tends to slow your work rate down. Trying to swing a hammer or operate a Skil saw with that really impacts the work speed -- as well as the heat," Winter said recently during a teleconference call from Camp Liberty in Iraq.

In the eight months of its deployment, the unit has conducted 80 missions around the Baghdad area, building more than 220,000 square feet of office and living space.

"There's a limited amount of us," Winter said. "Just like if you have a leak in your plumbing at 2 o'clock in the morning, you're pretty happy to see the plumber show up.

"So when we go places, we're very well watched over by the soldiers that are out there patrolling the streets, living in these bases permanently. They have a vested interest in keeping us safe and healthy so that their stuff keeps working."

Temporary construction

During this deployment, the unit has rebuilt vacant buildings or built new ones, setting up wiring and plumbing for showers, and providing overhead protection from mortar attacks and other shelling.

"The push of soldiers from the big bases out into the neighborhoods is definitely making a big difference," he said.

While members of the unit have assisted members of the Iraqi Army and police in building some outposts, the group's intention is not to have their work last forever. Setting aside the debate about how long combat troops might remain in Iraq, Winter said the unit's construction is largely designed to last no more than five years.

"Everything we're doing, construction-wise, is considered a little more temporary," he said.

The unit, which is due home in August, is the only one of its kind in the Minnesota National Guard and attracts building trades workers from across the state. It includes carpenters, electricians, plumbers and mechanics.

One of Winter's soldiers is a master electrician who has taken the phrase "baptism under fire" to a new level. He has arranged with union officials in Minnesota to apply the work he does in Iraq to apprenticeship hours for soldiers seeking their licenses back home.

"It works out pretty great for the soldiers and we're just happy to have all the civilian skills they bring to the table as well," Winter said.