Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrea Merritt | Spc. Kevin King, a St. Louis, native, and gunner on the 1st Sustainment Brigade...... read more read more
Spc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustainment Brigade
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Although the Soldiers of the Special Troops Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, are nearing the end of a 15-month deployment, their mission is not yet complete and they are still going strong; especially the members of the brigade command team's personal security detail.
On any given day, the Soldiers of the PSD can be called away from their regular duties as mechanics, administrative specialists, and supply specialists, to go on missions outside the wire.
Even though the PSD has only been performing its mission for about a year, the Soldiers on the team began training in January 2007, almost eight months before the unit deployed.
"The original team was put together before the unit deployed. We went to Fort Lee, Va., and got certified in combatives and close-quarters combat. We did a lot of convoy preparations and came up with our [tactics, techniques, and procedures]," said Sgt. Bryan Fadely, a Raymondville, Texas, native and gunner for the PSD.
On top of all the training they went through in the states, the members of the team received even more training focused specifically on their PSD mission when they arrived to Kuwait.
"We were the very first team to go through the PSD lanes. It went very well. That was probably the best training we ever went through. There was a lot of drivers training, a lot of how to react when vehicles are coming at your convoy, and a lot of how to escort the package," Fadely said.
Once the unit went forward into Iraq, there was a period of time where the team didn't conduct missions. During that time, they continued to prepare themselves for the tasks they knew would eventually come.
"We sat around and reviewed TTPs and did lots of rock drills. A rock drill is basically a way to rehearse what you're going to do on a mission. They call it a rock drill because you grab a rock and it simulates your place in a convoy. We used matchbox cars," Fadely explained.
"We practiced each and every scenario we could think of from IED detonations, complex attacks and small-arms fire, to mechanical breakdowns," Fadely continued.
After a few months, the PSD team began operating on night missions alongside convoy security elements for deliberate combat logistic patrols, which gave some team members their first real experience on the road.
Through their experience with the gun truck companies, they were able to redefine and implement the TTPs they would use once they started conducting missions on their own.
"It's a learning process. Every mission I learn something new. By sitting in on the Thunderdome, I learned how to do a briefing and in what order. I learned from the gun truck companies by just observing them when they were in the Thunderdome," said Hameln, Germany native, Sgt. 1st Class Wibke Griffin, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the PSD.
The Thunderdome is the place where transportation Soldiers and convoy security teams from the 165th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sust. Bde., are briefed on their missions. They discuss the routes, as well as, what actions they will take for the different scenarios that could arise while they are on the road.
With the arrival of more vehicles and equipment for the PSD to conduct missions, there came a need for more Soldiers to operate them. The team quickly grew from six to about 13 members.
As the NCOIC of the team, it was up to Griffin to interview a few Soldiers to determine who was the most qualified to be on the brigade command team's PSD. In addition to looking for someone with the right drivers training and weapons qualifications, she also looked for Soldiers with the most desire to be a part of the team.
"My biggest question was, "Why do you want to be on the team?" Somebody has to want to do this. Somebody really has to have the dedication to say, "I want to be a part of this team," said Griffin.
For a few Soldiers, there were no concerns about going outside the wire and traveling the roads of Baghdad.
"I volunteered because I like it. I don't like sitting around in an office all day. We work very well together. We all get along well together and once we start working together, things run pretty smooth," said Sgt. Salvador Ramirez, a native of Vernon, Texas, and driver for the PSD.
"I went out on the road a couple of times during my last deployment as well in 2004 to 2005. A lot of things changed," Ramirez added.
For other members on the team, there were concerns for their safety at first, but they quickly subsided once they began conducting missions.
"As for me, the concerns were basically the horror stories you hear before coming over here about all the IED hits; but once you get out there, you realize the amount of people who funneled through those roads as opposed to the amount of people who actually get hit, so your chances of getting hit aren't as severe as you think," Fadely explained.
Throughout the deployment, the PSD has safely escorted the brigade command team and other personnel from within the unit to a number of different places such as Victory Base Complex, Joint Base Balad, Joint Security Station Rowad, and a few forward operating bases in, and around Sadr City.
The team contributes a majority of their success to all of the training and research they had to conduct, knowing which roles to place each Soldier in, as well as, building cohesiveness between team members.
"It comes from working together, knowing the Soldiers and their strengths and weaknesses. Just knowing and keeping each other safe because we all depend on each other. No one person is more important than the other whether you're a driver, gunner, or [truck commander]," said Griffin.
In order to prepare for every mission, the PSD team has to gather maps, route status, and intelligence information on enemy activity that has taken place in the areas they will travel.
They also have to arrange the vehicles and make sure the communication equipment is working. Before hitting the road, everyone is briefed; and once the convoy begins, Griffin has to contact battle space owners to let them know they are in their area.
"Every mission is different. It might be the same route, but you never know how many people are going to be on the road, if they changed the barriers or checkpoints around, added one checkpoint or took a checkpoint away," Ramirez stated.
Reflecting on all of the missions that have been conducted, the members of the PSD are proud of the work they have done and look forward to returning home safely.
"It's been fun doing it. It's an honor and a privilege. People don't realize that it's actually a good thing to do because it does help the time fly by a lot quicker as opposed to sitting behind a desk 12 hours a day," Fadely concluded.
| Date Taken: | 12.01.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.01.2008 14:24 |
| Story ID: | 27032 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 751 |
| Downloads: | 667 |
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