[January 24, 2025] Saturday morning, 13 January 2007, was cool, cloudy, wet, and muddy. I was awake early as usual, around 5 am, and looking forward to what would likely be the most important day of my military career. I was to brief LTG Ray Odierno, MNC-I Commander on the capabilities of Engineers to “house” the upcoming surge in troops, equipment, and supplies.
I walked into his office in Al Faw Palace, which ironically had been one of Saddam Hussein’s best palaces, fully prepared. My boss, COL Juan Fernandez was with me. In attendance were: BG McDonald, BG Anderson, COL Volesky, COL Murray, COL Printz, and COL Wilson. Gen. Odierno wanted to ensure his Engineers were up to the task. I had been summoned to his office only a few hours before, so the meeting had been quickly arranged. For such an important briefing to the MNC-I Commander, there had been little time to prepare.
Gen. Odierno established our mission to bring in five Brigade Combat Teams and as few support elements as feasible. He wanted the existing support elements to support the troop surge, and thus put as much firepower forward as possible. His question to me was, “Can our Engineers establish enough housing for the incoming forces?”
What was unknown to those present, except for Juan, was that I’d spent an aggressive three days prior coordinating with key players that would be needed to carry out the construction. I had done a deep-dive into an analysis of our capabilities. I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d be asked to brief Engineer capabilities, so I was ready.
I asked for clarification on one item; that was “when” were the BCTs arriving. Were they coming all at once or spread out over some known interval? Also I needed to know where they would be located. Gen. Odierno said the plan was to space the BCTs out to arrive approximately 45 days apart and there would be no Division Headquarters. Plus, he could not commit to exactly where they would be located but I’d know at least 30 days in advance.
My answer to him was that we would be ready. Generals are not stupid and they understand the proclivity of staff officers to be Yes Men, because staffs want to please their bosses. Gen. Odierno asked? “How do you know you can do this?” I explained what I’d been doing over these past three days to do a thorough analysis and based on my experiences with the existing players I was confident we were ready. But I needed those 45 days’ notice.
Gen. Odierno agreed but couldn’t guarantee in every case I’d get that much time. Then he said the first unit arrives in 44 days and would be coming into the Baghdad area. We would be ready. I was to speak with the C-3 COL Murray for the area most useful location for the first BCT to occupy. There were some details I needed like the type of BCT, the numbers of troops, and the equipment so I could plan for the materials and manpower.
Everyone there at Odierno’s meeting shook my hand and I left to get right to work. Three days before, I’d already ordered the 411th Engineer Brigade to stand ready which was a good thing. We had a three day head start. We were going to need it. Engineers are never in reserve, meaning they are always working on missions. Turning off missions and restarting on new missions can take time and involves risks, especially in combat. The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, no wasting time or effort as the mission was clear.
For the next six months, we would meet all deadlines but not without needing Gen. “O” – as we called him – to run interference for us on occasion. Some of the senior Flag Officers and Consultants didn’t like the accommodations provided and a few wanted to let me know about their displeasure. For me, I listened intently but their comments rolled off my back. Unless there was a danger, these folks got what I could provide, even if the accommodation were ”austere.”
A Division Headquarters was tasked to act as a command and control element for the five BCTs. I’d anticipated the move and had a location selected that would be ideal and on Victory Base. The 3rd Infantry Division would arrive well into the BCT-arrival sequence, so most of their Soldiers would live in tents, much to the dislike of the 3rd ID Commander, MG Rick Lynch. I understood his concern, he just wanted the best for his troops.
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Please read my books:
Gen. Satterfield, you have done it again as you have given us some of the background, often ignored, on how the US military came up with the plan to build the millions of dollars worth of barracks, mess halls, headquarters bldgs, motor pools, storage sheds, PXs, contractor facilities, and force protection efforts, plus all the roads, water, power, sewage, garbage needs. And the list goes on and on. Most folks don’t appreciate the effort put in by the Engineers who, without them, we’d be living on the open ground. Thanks again. I look forward to more in this new series.
I see, now we are at the stage of getting of getting final approval for the engineering work that is about to begin. Good luck —- I’m sure plenty of folks offered their best wishes too. From previous articles, your workload is about to explode. I appreciate you saying that engineers are never in reserve. Most folks don’t understand what that means.
👍👍👍👍👍 Nothing like working 100+ hours per week and in the desert. Ha Ha … I’m happy you’re giving us the lowdown on the work, but don’t forget about telling us the environmental conditions and the fact you are under near constant attacks too. There are many who lost their lives fighting there and today the American people still has no clue. They believe there were no WMD but there was in the form of chemical weapons.
Thank you General Satterfield for giving us the inside scoop on what was going on with the Army and Corps HQ in preparation for the surge. I was there as part of the 3ID effort. Your background gives me some answers to why we lived in tents .. which wasn’t that bad. I was there for 9 months and actually had a good stay considering my other combat tours.
Thank you, Sgt York for your service and being a veteran of the Iraq War.
Thank you, sir, I am very honored to be part of your leadership team.
You prepare all your career and sometimes it all comes down to 20 minutes before the big boss.