Reply #21: The "pipeline"

[pasto76]

There is an oil refinery in Bayji. I spent most of my deployment on the K-2 airfield (called Lancer when I was there; 3-66 ARMOUR)at least twice "the pipeline" was attacked. We were told that 2 bad guys would drive across a field on a motorcycle, the passenger would fire an RPG at the ground, and then they would ride away leaving a monstrous flame jetting into the sky. It would burn 2 or 3 days.
This scenario made me think that an RPG7 warhead was much more powerful than I thought.

UNTIL...once again I find myself living on FOB Lancer attached to A/14 ENG for operation trailblazer. One day as my dozer operator was clearing the shoulder of the road by asr hershey, an armed iraqi came running down the hill. He was probably pretty close to being shot. However, turned out that he was a Guard for the "pipeline" His job was to sit on a hilltop with an AK and shoot at any bad guys F-ing with it.

He had coem down to warn us that my bulldozer was about to crush the pipe. In the states, such a pipeline would be buried 10 feet underground or so. But this was Iraq. No, the pipeline, such a vital and critical part of the Iraq infrastructure, such a crucial part of the alleged and much promised "Reconstruction" - WAS ONLY BURIED INCHES UNDER THE SAND. I kicked a shallow hole in the sand there it was. The motorcycle operation made sense now. Hell, a harsh look in it's general direction may have ignited it!

Now five years later, I wonder if we have done anything to protect this pipeline from sabotage....I frequently see BAYJI, IRAQ - An oil pipeline was blown up today.....in the news. Please people, this whole military operation is insane. Maybe General Patreaus is on the right track, but I beleive that it is years too late. How many more soldiers have to die so Chickenshit Freepers can talk about how "we" kicked ass.

SGT Pasto
C/244 ECB(H)