BASRAH, Iraq, Oct. 3, 2006  — A group of California National Guardsmen from the 40th Engineer Brigade are making a difference in Iraq serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the Basrah Area Office of the Gulf Region South District.

“There are three of us serving down here in Basrah,” said Maj. Zac Delwiche, a liaison officer with the Oil Area Office. “We all have different jobs, but the Corps is making good use of all of our skills.”

Delwiche is joined in Basrah by fellow 40th Engineer Brigade soldiers: Master Sgt. Bob Lamoureux and Sgt 1st Class Dave Adlard. Both noncommissioned officers are performing as project managers, positions often held by commissioned officers and senior Department of the Army civilians.

“I am responsible for ensuring the work that the American people are paying for is being completed,” Adlard said.

“I act as the construction manager for a natural gas liquids (NGL) plant, a natural gas liquids/liquid petroleum gas (NGL/LPG) plant, and an LPG bulk storage facility," he said.

Adlard works on a daily basis with five Iraqi engineers who each work at the various plants in his area "I help them to understand the work that is being completed so they can effectively make daily reports. I also instructed them on our inspection and test planning processes,” he said.

Working with the Iraqi engineers is something which Lamoureux also takes pride in as well. He said teaching the Iraqis about the benefits of proper use of safety equipment is particularly rewarding.

“One of the things I think the United States can share with Iraq is our dedication to keeping every worker safe,” Lamoureux said. “I’ve worked hard both through my words and through my actions to make sure that the Iraqi associates I work with understand how important it is to always think about safety is every aspect of our work.”

Adlard is a 20-year veteran of the California Guard and said that those with a desire to serve their country should consider volunteering.

“We’re making a difference over here,” he said. “And I believe in what we are doing. The projects I’m working on will have a positive impact on the future of Iraq. Oil is their major export, plus they need to be self sufficient in LPG. The things I’m working on will make that a reality.”

Delwiche said his work is enough to keep him busy and that’s what he likes most about serving in Iraq.

“My primary Job is operations officer for the GRS Basrah Air Station. I oversee the movement and control of all private security details (PSD) assigned to the Corps in the province of Al Basrah. I also plan and develop visits for all distinguished visitors (congressional delegates, ambassadors, heads of state, ministers, general officers, and other high ranking civilians),” Delwiche said.

He also serves as the director for the Regional Reconstruction Operations Center or RROC, which oversees all PSD movement in the four southern Iraqi provinces of Maysan, Al Basrah, Muthanna and Thi Qar.

"I oversee the information flow of all incidents and movements for all private security companies registered in Southern Iraq," Delwiche explained. "I am the liaison officer between the Multi-National Division-Southeast and the USACE."

Delwiche works with the MND-SE's civil effects and engineering staff section (J9), where he coordinates, synchronizes and conducts staff planning for and with the British coalition forces to best approach the combined reconstruction efforts in southern Iraq.

While their work keeps all of them focused from sun-up to way past sundown, it is their concern for the Iraqis they work with that is universal.

“Besides terribly missing my fiancé, the worst thing about being in Iraq is the feeling of helplessness as the local engineers and support staff go home to Basrah City each day,” Delwiche said. “You wonder if they will make it back after all of the stories they tell of their neighbors being dragged out of their houses and shot, and most horrifically of all, the children that get injured or killed by mortars or small arms.”

All three of the 40th’s soldiers said they will take back a renewed sense of America’s position in the world and the real skills they have picked up while serving at GRS.
For some it was renewing or reinvigorating the skills they already had, for others it will be applying new skills learned in country.

For Delwiche it was more about applying the skills he learned in his AGR position in California.

“My AGR position as the operations officer for the 579th Engineer Battalion was the best training for my operations job here in Iraq. At home I interact with local agencies, families of soldiers; local, state and federal representatives; senior military leaders, conduct planning and training, overseeing all administrative functions, logistical actions and issues and having a broad understanding of multiple areas."

That job included working with mobilizing and demobilizing individual troops and entire units, answering obscure questions from family members, the media and the local community.

“The broad spectrum of personnel that I worked with at home is not unlike my duties here in Iraq where I have to interact with lots of different military and public officials, conduct detailed planning, be personable and professional at all times as best I can and be able to respond and react to any situation 24/7,” Delwiche said.

This tour of duty has deepened their senses of family and made them realize what they have waiting back home for them when they return.

“I miss being a part of my wife and children’s lives,” Adlard said. “If I had to point to the worst thing, that would be it.”