CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION ADDER, Iraq - The commanding general of the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) out of Fort Hood, Texas, visited Camp Cedar II, Iraq, and Contingency Operating Location Adder, Iraq, Dec. 21 to see the progress being made toward moving the fuel farm from Cedar II to COL Adder.
"My goal was to take a look at Cedar," said Brig. Gen. Paul L. Wentz. "Go down there and take a look, see the plans for moving that fuel farm over here, see the progress that has been made. A lot of great things have been going on, a lot of progress. (There is) still some work to do, some friction points to iron out, but I think we are on track and it is looking good."
Wentz said the Adder fuel farm is scheduled to be completed in March and all convoy operations for the area will be conducted there after Cedar II is emptied of fuel and closed, as part of the eventual drawdown of U.S. forces and equipment from Iraq.
The environmental clean-up for Cedar II is scheduled for this summer and the base is scheduled to be turned over to the Iraqi Government in early fall 2010, said Wentz.
Lt. Col. Darrell J. Debish, the support operations officer with the 36th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), has worked on the project since his arrival in country in July.
Debish, an Austin, Texas, native, said the 36th Sust. Bde. has worked hard to speed up the construction of the fuel farm at Adder to get the estimated 180-day project finished on schedule.
"We are actually having our organic Soldiers lay bags out there because I cannot get the KBR (Inc.) contract done in time to get the bags rolled out," he said. "I can get it done for them to start pumping fuel in them, but I cannot get them to lay out bags. So we are doing it ourselves."
Debish said the fuel farms will operate dually, with both Adder and Cedar functioning until the new fuel farm at Adder can handle all operations for the area.
"My biggest concern is ... getting the fuel drawn down on Cedar in a timely manner without losing any, wasting any or causing any more headaches on the Soldiers we have," he said. "We still need to be functional at Cedar because we support all of southern Iraq and most of central Iraq with that fuel."
Wentz said the fuel farm should be a success and he appreciates all of the hard work of the 36th Sust. Bde. Soldiers on this project.
"I always enjoy coming down to Adder, seeing the great 36th and all the folks here - they do such great things," he said. "It is good to see folks right before the holidays and wish them well."
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