KUWAIT NAVAL BASE, Kuwait - For the majority of "Grey Wolf" Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, their deployment has come to and they are either home or on their way; but for approximately 400 Soldiers throughout the brigade, their mission is not complete until they complete a rigorous detail - detailing.
While the word detailing normally brings to mind cleaning every nook and cranny of personal vehicles, these troopers have gained a whole new meaning of the word as they work 24-hour shifts to vigorously detail combat equipment - Humvees, Bradley Fighting Vehicles, tanks, trailers and more, that have endured 14-months of use in Iraq.
Their mission, which began Nov. 21 at Kuwait Naval Base, consists of a very meticulous process averaging 24 to 48 hours of cleaning per vehicle. But as tedious as the job may be, these Soldiers know it is one that must be done and be done soon since they will be the last group to redeploy and their redeployment hangs on mission accomplishment.
"The wash rack symbolizes determination, will power and that anything is possible," said Spc. Marty Terry, a Soldier from Company D, 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron. "Determination so you can get it done and go home; will power because you have to keep doing the same thing all day and all night; and anything is possible because if you set your mind to it, it gets done."
According to Spc. Adam Barnes from Co. B, 3-8 Combined Arms Battalion, the wash rack is not only a sign of going home, but "it also kind of reflects back on what we did over here [in Iraq]."
As the Soldiers clean the vehicles, Barnes said every scrape and knick stands out as a reminder of the brigade's 14-month deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 06-08.
"This is where we hit an improvised explosive device; this is where we took [enemy] contact," Barnes said as he described the thoughts that flood back while cleaning the vehicles. "It's kind of hitting everybody on what we went through."
With about 650 pieces of military equipment to clean, these troopers also understand the importance of the detailed process because after they finish the initial cleaning, there is an even more tedious customs inspection.
The customs inspectors look for everything from "pinchable" dirt to rocks, grass and twigs, said Staff Sgt. Ernest Moore, a Soldier from Co. D, 6-9 ARS, who was singing "Working At the Car Wash," with his cleaning partner as they wiped down the gunners turret of a BFV.
"It is a tough inspection process," Barnes said. "They even take out Gerbers and start scraping stuff."
"You don't want to take back any foreign dirt because it can mess up the agriculture and you don't want to have any live ammunition...because it's illegal," Moore explained as he talked about how most vehicles get sent back for rewashing because the process is so strict and precise. "The [customs inspectors] will check every thing."
Yet despite the frustrations that most Soldiers feel about the detailed and strict guidelines, they still manage to have fun at work, all the while knowing mission accomplishment equals home.
"I try to play games," Moore said. "See how much you can get done to beat the other shifts so we can get done faster."
"It's awesome," said Spc. Katie Bayliss, a member of the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion's Military Police Company, who pre-inspects the vehicles before they are inspected by customs. "Our highest number one day was 66 pieces [of equipment].
"We push out as much [equipment] as possible so we can get home," Bayliss continued. "We don't want to be here for Christmas."
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