Not far from Baghdad, the Marines transformed one of Saddam's modern highways into a runway for massive C-130 cargo planes that have already started landing there. And they did it all in 24 hours. The newly created 3,500-foot landing strip in the midst of marshy terrain is perfect for delivering fresh ammo, fuel, food and even Rice Krispies Treats to U.S. forces pushing north to the capital. "This is really going to accelerate our tempo," predicted Lt. Col. John Broadmeadow of the 1st Division. "This gives a lot more flexibility to bring the war forward."
The makeshift airstrip was built to handle the C-130 — which has proven to be the best way to move large quantities of supplies a long distance in a short time. Trucks have been breaking down in the sand and on Iraq's substandard roads, and helicopters can carry only a limited amount of supplies. To create the strip, the Marines had to "shave" the highway of all obstructions. That meant clearing away everything from 3-feet-high median dividers to towering 30-foot lamp posts, said Col. John Pomfret, commander of Combat Support Services Group 11, which oversaw the project. Early yesterday morning, a special military bulldozer set to work ripping up the lampposts, small trees and essentially smoothing out everything else standing more than an inch off the ground. Once the highway was as smooth as the head of a Marine recruit, the ground crew went to work placing pink neon markers along the center line and hooking up pumps and inflatable fuel pods. With the first C-130 scheduled to land, Cobra helicopter gunships circled the area barely 50 feet off the ground, on the prowl for any Iraqis intent on blowing up the fuel-laden plane with a shoulder-fired rocket. Other troops patrolled the area on high alert, aware of the risks involved in bringing such a plane deep into a battle zone where firefights are common.
Then, late yesterday afternoon, pilot Mark Graham, who had taken off from a base in Kuwait in his C-130, touched down with a load of fuel. He flew one low pass over the runway before circling back and making a perfect landing. After about 25 minutes, the 8,000 gallons of fuel were pumped out and he prepared for takeoff. Graham, whose radio call sign is "Cracker," said he'd never done a landing quite like it, but called it "a piece of cake." "Coming in was strange, but after that it was just like any other landing," said Graham, a reservist attached to Marine Aerial Refueler/Transport Squadron 452 in upstate Newburgh.
Now, what was that about supply problems? |