[April 18, 2026] It was early in my third combat tour in Iraq, late 2010. My boss, a Brigadier General in the Engineers, called me into his office for a quick discussion. Four detainees had escaped from Camp Cropper, the U.S. military’s main detainee camp near Baghdad International Airport—BIAP.
I was Chief of Staff for Engineers under United States Forces-Iraq (USF-I). The General gave me a choice: investigate the escape and assign blame, or fix the problems so it never happens again.
I knew the ground. I knew the key players. In a prior tour, I had expanded detainee facilities for the troop Surge. I understood construction standards and Red Cross requirements. But I didn’t know how to run a detainee camp—that was Military Police work.
There must have been a side deal between my one-star Engineer boss and the MP Major General in charge of detainee operations. President Obama had ordered zero future escapes. Money was no object. I chose to fix it, not investigate.
First, I drove the thirty minutes to Camp Cropper. I met the MP Lieutenant Colonel running the place. He was straight with me: his unit had operational failures, and the facilities had weaknesses that made the escape too easy. He gave me a full tour.
I called Guy LaBoa, the senior KBR civilian on LOGCAP III. LaBoa is a retired three-star Infantry Lieutenant General with Vietnam combat experience. No-nonsense, direct. He told me what his crews could repair if given the mission.
The next day, I met GEN Raymond Odierno at Al Faw Palace, USF-I headquarters in the Victory Base Complex. I had served under him in III Corps during my second tour, when he commanded MNC-I. He knew me. He looked me in the eye and asked, “Can you fix the detainee camp so there are no more escapes?” I said yes.
He made it clear: this escape had political heat all the way to the top. No more mistakes. Then he asked when I could start. I told him I could begin the moment I left his office. He looked surprised. I explained that I already had a KBR repair team and a U.S. Army Engineer company staged outside Camp Cropper with pre-planned tasks. One phone call and they would start. I would drive straight there to oversee it and set the timeline.
As I walked out of Al Faw Palace, I made a call on my cell phone. We had prearranged code words because the phones weren’t secure. I gave the word. Work began immediately.
Engineers live for this. We want to get dirty, solve real problems under pressure. “Essayons”—“Let us try”—is the Regiment motto. It’s in our blood.
I coordinated directly with the MP command overseeing detainee operations. We did what was necessary: hardened perimeters (such as cutting off concrete wall rebar lifts), improved lighting, repaired fencing and gates, upgraded guard positions, and added technical measures. Money was not an issue.
The U.S. military left Iraq in December 2011. From when we fixed Camp Cropper until the final troops departed, there were no more escapes. That was one bright spot in my last combat tour—doing exactly what Engineers are built to do.
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Please read my books:
I did my time in the Iraq War and can say this is the kind of action I saw everywhere. Military and civiiians taking action. No pansy-waisted liberals whining about their feelings getting hurt. All action. All pushing forward. All getting the job done. That’s the way things get done, the mission accomplished, and then move on to the next task.
Yeah, that article hits home. Gen. Satterfield was given a clear choice—dig into who messed up or just fix the detainee camp after those escapes. He picks fixing it, which makes total sense with his engineering background.
They tour the place, spot the weak spots like bad fencing and lighting, and jump right on repairs with the contractor. No blame game, just action under pressure from Obama’s zero-escape order. They harden everything fast, and it works—no more breaks till they left Iraq. I like how it shows leaders get more done by solving problems instead of pointing fingers. Smart move, honestly.
Fred, he is a man of action. Like so many of our best and brightest veterans.
Sir, I think you made the right choice.