“Do not lose this,” the Soldier warns, referring to the badge.
The Iraqi is one of several hundred people who will go through the Visitor Control Center at Contingency Operating Base Adder this day. The line stretches far behind him, and many have already entered and are waiting for their escorts. Most are local nationals. They work for a variety of companies, the U.S. military and private contractors.
Second Lt. Shawn Crabtree, from Kansas City, Mo., and Sgt. 1st Class Chad Leake, from Zanesville, Ohio, are the officer-in-charge and noncommissioned officer-in-charge of the VCC.
“The VCC and the entry control points are the first line of defense for the COB,” said Leake.
Crabtree and Leake manage the VCC and several ECPs. The duo is responsible for the guards, interpreters, security equipment operators and U.S. Army escorts. Between searching, fingerprinting, badging and providing a place for visitors to wait for escorts, the VCC is almost always busy, particularly in the morning.
“It’s part of the job,” said Crabtree. “There’s something new every day. It’s never boring.”
The hours are long. Sometimes Crabtree and Leake spend the whole night at the VCC, but they love the job and its challenges.
“The most interesting part is getting to meet the Iraqi Police who sometimes escort the convoys. We have to communicate through an interpreter, but it’s worth it,” said Crabtree, a military policeman.
Having to overcome the language barrier is a small inconvenience in a rewarding job.
“Working at the VCC is a great opportunity to deal with and understand another culture,” said Leake.
