When the 120th Engineer Battalion deployed to Iraq, the United States had been at war there for less than a year, and at war in Afghanistan for about two.
Since then, U.S. combat troops have left Iraq and are now preparing to leave Afghanistan, and the roughly 200 members of the 120th Engineer Battalion are helping with that drawdown.
At least for a couple of months. The soldiers are near the end of the deployment and are due to return to Oklahoma in mid-spring.
As soldiers with the battalion near the end of their deployment, the excitement grows while keeping a sharp focus on the mission, the unit commander said.
"They're getting excited about going home, they're getting excited about their replacements being here," said Lt. Col. Jackie Ritter, commander of the 120th Engineer Battalion Task Force Outlaw, in a phone interview from Afghanistan.
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The members of the Broken Arrow-based battalion have been in southern Afghanistan since about August. Their focus has been on route clearance operations in the southern region, which includes the major city and province of Kandahar. The 120th is providing command and control for about 10 engineer route clearance companies and are trained to provide support for forward combat elements.
"We're not clearing as many routes as we were when we first got here just because of the movements of units and infantry are scaling back on their operations as we transition into retrograde," said Ritter, who works as a corporal in Tulsa Police Department's Gilcrease Division in his civilian job.
Still, since the 120th arrived in country, the units have traveled more than 150,000 miles through sometimes hostile territory on muddy, crowded roads.
Ritter said Task Force Outlaw is the only "combat effects battalion" in Afghanistan right now, meaning they are specially trained to deal with hostile situations on route clearance operations while other engineer companies have more of a construction element.
The 1220th Engineer Company of Muskogee recently left Oklahoma to complete training at Fort Bliss, Texas, before they head to Afghanistan later this year. The roughly 150 soldiers in the engineer company will focus primarily on the deconstruction of forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan.
But Ritter said their units' mission hasn't changed, just the direction.
"They're starting to pull that back to the larger (forward operating bases) and we're supporting a lot of that as opposed to when we originally got here, they were actively moving out and hunting and seeking the Taliban," Ritter said.
Their mission in Iraq in 2004 was on the other side of the war, going into places that had recently been affected by war.
This week marked the 10th anniversary of American involvement in Iraq, which ended in late 2011. It saw the first Oklahoma National Guard casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan. Spc. Kyle Adam (Showler) Brinlee, 21, of the 120th Engineer Battalion, died May 11, 2004, when the vehicle in which he was riding hit an improvised explosive device.
Ritter said that after such long conflicts, the soldiers are driven by the support they get from back home.
"It's incredible to feel and see this kind of support especially after this war, 12 years into it," Ritter said.
"I'm just amazed at the support (from) the citizens of Oklahoma."
Of course, they're now also driven by how close they are to returning home.
"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel and they're getting excited about it," Ritter said.
Oklahoma National Guard units in Afghanistan
Oklahoma Army National Guard
- 120th Engineer Battalion Headquarters, Broken Arrow, 175 soldiers
- Det 1, C/1-249 Aviation, Lexington, 50 soldiers
- 1245 Truck Company, McAlester, 115 soldiers
Oklahoma Air National Guard
- 205th Engineering Installation Squadron, Tulsa, 30 airmen
- 219th Engineering Installation Squadron, Tulsa, 45 airmen
Roughly 150 soldiers with the 1220th Engineer Company of Muskogee are completing their training at Fort Bliss, Texas, and are set to head to Afghanistan this spring for a 9-month deployment.
Jerry Wofford 918-581-8310
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com SUBHEAD: BA's 120th battalion: ready for home Unit hopes for mid-spring return
Original Print Headline: Waiting game for 120th