Moenck found time for fishing in Iraq
Caledonia native spent year as heavy equipment operator
Posted: 6/8/04
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Intense heat, dust storms, hard work, and even some fishing were all part of Tim Moenckís year-long experience in Iraq.
Moenck, 26, grew up Caledonia. He worked as a heavy construction equipment operator and supervisor with the 389th Combat Heavy Engineers in the U.S. Army from May 12, 2003 to May 7, 2004.
The first 5-1/2 months were at Camp Dogwood with the First Armored Division, 30 miles west of Baghdad. The remainder of the year was spent building Camp Victory for the First Calvary at Baghdad International Airport.
Tim said he got lucky in being able to return home when he did. His battalion signed over its heavy equipment to the 411th Engineers, then two days later, the other units had their tours of duty extended for four months. Timís unit did not get extended because they did not have their equipment anymore. ìWe lucked out, we got to come home,î he said with one his frequent laughs. ìOur equipmentís still over there.î
He works as a dual status military technician in the Army as a heavy equipment mechanic at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin. His rank is staff sergeant E6. Dual status means that he has a civil service job but is obligated to stay in the Army Reserves, which is a federal program in which he serves one weekend a month and two weeks during the year.
Moenck is a 1996 graduate of Caledonia High School. His parents are Tom and Carolyn Moenck. He talked about his experience with The Argus on June 1.
Argus: What was a typical day like?
Moenck: Itís hard to say. Every day was different. For the most part we had large projects we were working on. Weíd go out there and conduct engineer operations, earth moving operations, road building, At Camp Dogwood one of the main missions [was] we constructed 23 miles of force protection berm, had a 30 foot base, and 10 foot high. Miles of road. Spread hundreds of tons of rock to keep the dust down because the dust was just unbelievable, and the heat was just very intense. Itís hard to describe how hot it was.
Did that create problems for your job?
Yeah, because when youíre operating heavy equipment, you get engine heat, the heat off the piece of equipment. It just intensifies everything. And then you get the dust because youíre breaking ground with all this heavy equipment, and the dust just sticks to you like a magnet. Youíd be like a ghost at the end of the day, youíd be all white.
Then would you have good showers and facilities to clean up?
The first 5-1/2 months when we were at Camp Dogwood, we had a 6,000 gallon semi water tanker. It was pretty rusty, and weíd do our laundry and everything in that. But when we got to the airport, we had purified water.
How were you treated by the Iraqi people?
For the most part, real good. The people we dealt with seemed really happy that our presence was there. Being a construction battalion, we dealt with mostly Iraqi dump truck drivers that hauled in rock and dirt. They just seemed like decent people trying to make a living.
Was your job dangerous?
At times, very. When we would be conducting our earth moving operations, there would be a lot of unexploded ordinance that weíd be working around. The explosive ordinance disposal team would have to come out there and blow up the ordnance on our job site. Weíd stop all operations if we found any, which happened quite often. Theyíd blow it up and weíd continue pushing dirt or whatever we were doing.
Was there ever an accident with that?
Luckily, no. Weíre very cautious. You had to be constantly aware of your surroundings.
What did you miss from home while you were there?
Without a doubt, family and friends. And my hobbies. Fishing is one of my main hobbies.
What would you say was the most difficult part of being in Iraq?
The most difficult part was dealing with the heat and the dust. Itís hard to describe how bad it was. The heat was just unbearable as soon as the sun would come up in the morning. In the summer it would get down to maybe 90 or 100 at night. It would be closing in on 150 during the day. And the dust like I mentioned before, it was just terrible.
What did you do on your days off?
After three months there, we actually started getting a Sunday off. I would just kind of catch up on sleep. I fished two Sundays I was over there.
Where did you get your fishing pole?
[From] Local Iraqis that would be right on post. The soldiers would go there and buy stuff. If they didnít have it, theyíd go down to the local market in downtown Baghdad and get the stuff for you.
Was it a Zebco 202?
It was a Zebco Crappie Combo. I paid 25 bucks for it. [Laughs] It came with lures and everything.
What were some of the most enjoyable things about your time in Iraq?
Iíd say the friends you make over there. I really like to operate heavy equipment. I enjoy doing that. Thatís about it. I guess it wasnít just the most enjoyable.
What do you think the future holds for Iraq?
I guess itís hard to say right now. Things were looking really bright last winter, and then April it did a complete turn-around. Itís still not going the best right now I just hope for the best, hope they can establish a government and it works for them.
What does the future hold for you?
Iím going to return to work at Fort McCoy at the end of July and get back to normal life.
In the meantime what will you be doing.
Thatís easy. Probably fishing about five days a week. [Laughs] And catching up with friends and family.
Any other comments?
Good to be back in the Midwest.
Good to see the rain?
Yes! Iíve had enough of that already.
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