European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday april 12 2007 stars and stripes o Page 3 photos Courtesy of the Navy above Petty officer 1st class John Henkleman a gunners mate instructs an iraqi Marine in weapons handling during an m500 Shotgun training session aboard the iraqi Oil platform Basra in the Northern persian guff Mort than 60 sailors from Mobile Security Squadron 7 detachment 73 at naval base Guam were deployed to the Region from september to March right Petty officer 3rd class Joshua Fisher a master ataris prepares to throw a grappling Hook As part of training last month for boarding vessels x is v t Busy or bored 6 months on an iraqi Oil Rig 60 Guam based sailors train Iraq marines to protect precious platforms by Jennifer h Svan stars and stripes six months is a Long time to live in a shipping Container on a giant steel grate at least 85 feet above the Ocean that a lot of Metal a lot of Salt a lot of Sun and Why sailors with Mobile Security Squadron 7 detachment 73 at naval base Guam Are Happy to be Home but despite the austere living in the Northern persian Gulf there was something special about the deployment the sailors said because of the importance of the Mission and camaraderie that grew from touching it on an Oil Rig 14 Miles out to sea More than 60 sailors deployed with the Squadron in mid septem ber mostly masters alarms but also a few gunners mates and two corpsmen half returned March 24 and the rest arrived on Guam on Friday their Job was to train iraqi Marine platoons in guarding Iraq it Aaron Bergman left and Petty officer 2nd class Christopher Tindell a master alarms both with Mobile Security Squadron 7 detachment 73 take a break from duties on the offshore iraqi Oil platform Basra an april 8 Story about two soldiers questioned in the at tempted rape of an of duty South korean policewoman should have said they Are based at Camp Stanley m an april 3 Story about the Battlefield emphasis on Stop Ping bleeding should have said that qui clot works by absorbing water in the blood leaving platelets and clotting factors highly concentrated in the wound a two offshore Oil terminals Basra and Khwarg Al Amaya said Navy it Aaron Bergman the squad Rons officer in charge in a phone interview from Guam on Mon Day they also were there to Back up the iraqi marines if the plat forms were attacked Bergman said then there was the business of living we were Bergman said we cooked our own food did our own dishes cleaned painted pre served on top of the Normal duties we had to do for training and Protection of the food picked up regularly in Kuwait by Small boat was easier to come by than water indeed water was everywhere but was Only drinkable after a pro Cess to remove the Salt maintaining those reverse osmosis pumps one on each plat form was almost a full time Job in itself Bergman said life on the platforms was an in even rhythm of 18to20hour workdays interspersed with the occasional absolutely nothing to Bergman said sailors used free time to build shelves or desks to enhance living areas they worked out read and studied for College courses said Petty officer 3rd class Gregory Chaney 25 of Dallas a Mas treat arms they also went through seven footballs because sometimes they fall in the Chaney said we brought the first two then had the next five mailed to Chaney was on the sea marshal team which boarded Oil vessels to Check clearance and sweep for explosives Riding the ship until it moored at the platform i enjoyed the Chaney said i think everyone did for the most part its a Good group of Guys we were All with out there you feel like youre actually doing under the Guam sailors watch about 13 billion barrels of fuel was pumped from the platforms Bergman said the amount of Cash that flowed through there was Phe he said that basically whats supporting the iraqi government completely in that re Gard we really do feel he we were Chaney said the deployment taught him to appreciate his life More and not just because his shipping Container was stacked three High 140 feet above sea water when you see their he said of the iraqi marines the Home life How they grew up How Little Money they make just How hard their life has been it makes you realize How much you take for email Jennifer h Svan at  capture of brits May delay plans for a handover coalition forces Hope to eventually hand Over defense of the iraqi Oil platforms entirely to the iraqi marines said Navy it Aaron Bergman Mobile Security Squadron 7 detachment 73 officer in charge but recent events May delay that turnover he said monday re Ferring to iran capture of 15 Brit ish sailors and marines the Crew was detained March 23 a Day after the Guam sailors left the platforms Bergman said and released last week the British sailors and marines were conducting a Security sweep of a tug coming into one of the Oil platforms the same Job the Guam sailors did Bergman said the British took Over that Mission for a few Days until the incoming sailors of Mobile Security detach ment 24 from Norfolk were ready to go Bergman said we were really surprised that did he said we did have encounters with the Irani ans that were intense but nothing More than that it was More of just a visual standoff dont come any closer to us we wont come any closer to another Holdup to the Handoff is the iraqi military logistics and Supply train there Good at fighting but what they Lack is the ability to re Bergman said they have trouble getting things like batteries even ammo for their weapons until that fixed they wont be Able to sustain a Force on the platform Jennifer h Svan