Wyckoff’s Michael Marrinan, also known as Army 1st Lt. Michael Marrinan, was recently covered by reporter Army Sgt. Daniel T. West concerning the work being done by Company B for the build-out of FOB Delta in Wasit, Iraq. FOB stands for Forward Operating Base, and this one is located in the Wasit Province. Wasit is an Arabic word meaning “middle”, and the name applies here because it lies midway between Baghdad and Basra. FOB Delta is located outside the capital of the province which is a city called Al-Kut.
Communications has always played a role in warfare, as anyone familiar with the old rhyme For Want of a Nail will have learned. That importance has only grown in time. Lines of communication are needed to coordinate and order military maneuvers, and today they also allow soldiers to stay a little closer in touch with the loved ones left behind.
The Wasit province is a main supply route for Iranian smugglers and elements of the rogue Mahdi Army, and it continues to be a critical and dangerous area. Both groups have sought to undermine the Iraqi government and have attacked civilians and Iraqi and Coalition security forces. On June 21, Sayyid Tahseen, a senior member of the rogue army was arrested in Al-Kut. Tahseen is described as “one of the most important individuals wanted by security forces” who is “wanted for more than 45 cases, including armed operations against security forces, in addition to the killing and abduction of innocent people.”
The residents of Wasit have recently been able to resume some semblance of normal life as indicated by the success of a play called “People and People” which portrayed Iraqi life from a comedic angle. 1,500 attended the play in Al-Kut, and an estimated 3000 listened outside the hall. It was an event sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Army’s 214th Fires Brigade, and the Iraqi police. Officials consider events such as this to reflect a turning point in the lives of the people.
Readers can click here to watch some videos filmed by an American gunner on patrol just outside FOB Delta in the street of Al-Kut. The videos are well shot, and might on the surface appear inconsequential, but they offer the opportunity for Americans back home to see Iraq from a soldier’s perspective- albeit with an American soundtrack. It acts as a reminder, for people who are safely surrounded by their friends and family, that war is about the lives of real people, not politics. Probably no one knows this better than the soldiers who are on the front lines across the sea. These videos were made by Royce Repka whom we believe to originally be from Pennsylvania.
This is the full posting concerning the Signal Soldiers and Lt. Michael Marrinan. The article reprinted here from the Department of Defense explains the pressure to deliver that Signal Soldiers have in the desert operation.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq, June 24, 2008
By Army Sgt. Daniel T. West
– “Running cable isn’t that interesting unless you stop and play with the puppy,” said Army Spc. Jennifer Dimitroff, a Lancaster, Calif., native assigned to Company B, 44th Expeditionary Signal Battalion here. The puppy Dimitroff mentioned was adopted by contractors living near one of the many manholes Company B’s soldiers are working to refurbish.
Company B provides voice and data services for Forward Operating Base Delta, as well as 12 other sites, Army Capt. Kelly McCay, Company B commander, said. These soldiers stay busy establishing and running a technical control facility as well as 26 miles of fiber-optic cable through a series of manholes around the base. They work to ensure communications are available for all who need them, said McCay, a Central City, Ky., native. Company B is also on the front line as FOB Delta grows, working to provide for all new units and personnel. “As new buildings are raised, we work within the construction process to ensure they are wired for communications,” McCay said.
New construction is only half the mission. Company B also must service existing cables. As the 41st Fires Brigade arrives from Fort Hood, Texas, and prepares to take charge of FOB Delta, the number of work orders has jumped by 65 percent. “One challenge has been dealing with the speed of growth on the FOB,” said Army 1st Lt. Michael Marrinan, a Wyckoff, N.J., native and officer in charge of the technical control facility. “There’s an issue with resources and a lack of personnel. We have to manage who’s most important for the mission to keep up with how fast demand is growing.”
Morale remains high in the company despite the challenges, McCay said. “Many times, people don’t see the impact of their work; they just work their shifts,” he said. “The motivation level is high because they see the impact each day of what they’re doing.” These soldiers have proven to be flexible, often working in jobs for which they never trained. Army Spc. Blake Martin, a satellite communications technician, said he has no regrets about coming to Iraq. “I wanted to do my part,” he said. “I saw soldiers on TV working over here and wanted to do my part to help that. I joined to come over here. … I feel I’ve done my part here.”
