Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Deborah Runkles-Jenkins | Soldiers of the 250th Transportation Company, El Monte, Calif., drive through heavy...... read more read more
FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, Calif. - Army Reserve Transportation Companies want to provide fundamental, hands-on training for their Soldiers using the vehicles and equipment they were trained to employ. To do that, TCs need missions that allow for the time and road distance that battle training assemblies can’t always afford.
Enter: Nationwide Move 2015 (NWM 15), an Army Reserve-approved functional training exercise designed to provide Reserve component transportation and support units with valuable, realistic training, by conducting operations in support of continental U.S. activities.
The 250th Transportation Company out of El Monte, California, is one of many TC units tasked to participate in NWM 15, explained Master Sgt. Christian Beeler, lead planner of operations for the 821st Transportation Battalion based in Topeka, Kansas.
The 250th Soldiers welcomed the opportunity, said 1st Lt. Elliott Dill, 2nd Platoon leader with the 250th, and officer in charge of movement. He said his unit has conducted many support missions throughout CONUS and Canada, but this one is different.
“Nationwide Move is built with the transportation companies in mind.” said Dill. “It’s one of the few times we can get behind the wheel and actually run long-haul missions.”
The task is to load and transport vehicles and large storage containers for the 189th Infantry Brigade (Training Support) from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Fort Lewis, Wash., and convoy back down to Fort Hunter Liggett, California, where the 189th will support the Combat Support Training Exercise. Once the exercise is complete, the 250th will conduct the same mission, in reverse order.
The 250th will simultaneously transport containers of real-world medical supplies for the Regional Training Site-Medical from Camp Parks, California, to six locations at Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts, California, supporting CSTX and Warrior Exercises (WAREX) over the next several months.
“It’s what the Soldiers want,” said Dill. “They want to drive; they want long-haul missions; they want to physically load equipment- and that’s exactly what we are going to be doing.”
The 250th Motor Transport Operators (88M), along with those of the 208th and 289th Transportation Companies out of Arizona who augmented the 250th, agree that this type of mission is just what they’ve been waiting for.
“It’s awesome, I love it!”, said Spc. Elizabeth Walker, a San Bernardino native and motor transport operator with the 250th.
Walker, who has been driving trucks in the Army Reserve for 5 years, said she became an 88M because she likes to travel and is anxious to see the sites on the road.
“This is the first time I get to do a true long-haul mission,” she said. “It’s going to be a great experience.”
This particular long-haul will include approximately 2750 round-trip miles for the Soldiers, confirmed Beeler.
“We’re always looking for opportunities to put miles on the trucks,” said Beeler. “To get these Soldiers out using their equipment and trusting their equipment - you can’t put a price on good training for the troops.”
Sgt. 1st Class Jerry M. Lubin, convoy commander for the movement, said the Soldiers will be driving M915A5 and A3 truck tractors, similar to the civilian semi-tractor trailer.
“In a mission on this level, the drivers really get to see how their trucks handle,” Lubin said. “They can critique each other and give us feedback. There’s a lot of differences when driving with a loaded trailer, especially in changing weather.”
Known well for its rainy climate, the northwestern states did not disappoint. From the first day in convoy there were very few dry areas to be found. Heavy rains were forecasted for much of the first week of the trip.
Lubin said there are many adjustments that have to be made for the rain, but safety is the number one priority.
“We don’t get to train like this in Southern California… but our Soldiers are ready.” said the Beaumont, California, native. “They know to slow down, keep the right distances and report obstacles they might see on the roads.”
This real-world activity provides more than training benefits for the Soldiers who are driving.
“We as leaders get to know the Soldiers in our units better,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Cesar Trujillo, assistant convoy commander and Palmdale, California, resident. “We get to just step back and let the Soldiers do the jobs they've trained for.”
Trujillo said this exercise will give him the opportunity to identify his Soldiers’ strengths and weak spots. He can use the information and feedback he gets to plan for future training back home, he said.
The 250th began their mission on Feb. 3 and will conclude the first leg on Feb. 17. They will return to Camp Roberts, California, in March to transport the cargo back home.
Supporting units for this mission include the 192nd Quartermaster Company from North Canton, Ohio and the 375th Trailer Transfer Point (TTP) out of Las Cruces, New Mexico.
The 250th TC is part of the 304th Sustainment Brigade. The 304th, based at March Air Reserve Base, Riverside, California, is responsible for planning and executing life support efforts (sleep sites, meals, showers, etc.) at multiple rest overnight locations across CONUS for NWM 15.
| Date Taken: | 02.09.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.09.2015 22:30 |
| Story ID: | 154067 |
| Location: | FORT HUNTER LIGGETT, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | BEAUMONT, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | EL MONTE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | PALMDALE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 2,134 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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