411th keeps
eyes on mission

The isle unit's leader says that
media reports of chaos in Iraq
are not distracting his soldiers

The continued news reports of the possibility of "spectacular" attacks throughout Iraq as the country draws closer to its first national elections at the end of the month doesn't affect at least one battalion of about 300 soldiers from Hawaii in Baghdad.

Jonathan Wung: Battalion commander uses Web site to keep family informed

That is the assessment of their leader -- Lt. Col. Jonathan Wung -- who was the last member of the Pacific Army Reserve's 411th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy) to come home for two weeks of rest and recuperation leave.

A state of emergency extends through Iraq except for the northern Kurdish areas. The 411th has been in Baghdad working in the international zone -- an area once known as "the green zone." Most of their missions outside Camp Liberty, where they have been located since March, have been on Army bases throughout central Baghdad.

Wung told the Star-Bulletin that "our soldiers are just focused on the mission. Talk like that doesn't really bother us. It doesn't change our mood."

Wung has kept the unit's family members in Hawaii, Guam, Samoa and the mainland informed by monthly updates on the 411's Web site.

"I tell them, 'Don't focus on what you see or read in the media.' The type of missions we do do not make headlines."

Since March, however, the 411th has had to make at least 300 convoy trips in the Baghdad area as the construction battalion worked on chapels, Army post office and office buildings, helipads, barracks, and on various military installations.

Wung said the 411th's job is "to improve the quality of life of the soldiers there and ensure the protection of soldiers operating in central Baghdad."

The 411th, which was the first large group of island reservists mobilized for combat duty in Iraq last year, is attached to the 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood in Texas. More than 300 of its 600 soldiers are from Hawaii, with another 100 from American Samoa, 70 from Alaska and 100 from 29 mainland states.

Wung said that "all vehicles that are used outside of Camp Liberty have armor on them. I make it a point to inspect those vehicles."

"Convoys are a way of life," he added. "My main concern is that my convoys and soldiers are safe. I try to ensure that everything looks right before they go out."

It was one of those convoys returning from the supply depot at Balad that badly injured two 411th soldiers: Staff Sgt. Juanita Wilson, who is now recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and Sgt. Aaron Carvalho.

The unit has suffered only two other major injuries and both of those soldiers have returned to duty in Iraq.

Besides building roads and renovating and constructing military facilities, Wung said the 411th was part of a massive effort to rebuild the Abu Nuwas Park, which in the 1980s was a gathering place for Iraqis along the east bank of the Tigris River in Rusafa -- one of the oldest neighborhoods in Baghdad.

The 411th, along with the Army Reserve's 458th and 980th engineer battalions and the Arkansas National Guard's 239th Engineer Company, restored the park and built a pedestrian walkway.

"Over the years and wars, the park had become neglected, littered and overgrown with bushes," Wung said.

It was Baghdad's mayor who requested that the park be restored and the removal of defensive barriers that cut it off from other parts of the city.

Wung's battalion also continued the civil affairs project, called Operation Caring Hands, which took donations of school supplies and clothing from people and organizations throughout the United States and distributed them in central Baghdad.

"We collected and inventoried more than 50,000 items consisting of school supplies, such as crayons, pencils and notebooks, backpacks and clothing.

"Hopefully, this is the mark we want to leave on the children -- their first impression of freedom and liberty."

Wung has spent the past week meeting members of his rear area detachment and family readiness group leaders who have been responsible for the welfare of the spouses and dependents of his soldiers now in Iraq. In addition, he will meet with his soldiers' employers and community supporters.

"We're like a three-legged stool," Wung said. "One leg is the soldier. The other is the families. The last is the employers and community supporters. I am grateful for employers and community support groups for all the goodies they have sent. These packages are very important for the morale of the soldiers."