Renegades deliver on Iraqi roads

Courtesy Photo | A 494th Transportation Company gunner displays his unorthodox weapon of choice during some down time while waiting to head out on a mission Oct. 5.  

11.08.2005

Courtesy Story

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Sgt. Rachel Brune
101ST Sustainment Brigade

A mile in Iraq seems longer than most when you factor in the dust, the night driving, the improvised explosive devices and the small arms fire.

The 494th Transportation Company's third platoon "Renegades" know how long an Iraqi mile is. They've logged more than 160,000 of them.

As on every mission, the Habur Gate to Q-West run Oct. 4 began with a thorough check and servicing of all the vehicles. Aided by the "Cold Steel" maintenance platoon, Soldiers ensure their trucks can make the trip without breaking down on the streets of Iraq.

When the sun went down, the mission briefing room adjacent to the 494th motor pool began to fill. Staff Sgt. Russell Rook, truck driver, squad leader and commander for this mission, took charge of the room.

Rook is into audience participation. Calling on different Soldiers to explain how to deal with various situations they might encounter, he knew by their unhesitant answers that his troops were ready to roll.

The 494th is also into group participation. Rook announced the brief for the nine-line medical evacuation, a set list of codes used to make a call for medevac as brief and accurate as possible.

"Line one," Rook exclaimed.

"Location," responded 30 Soldiers, their voices reverberating in the enclosed area.

Continuing to use joint participation, Rook covered the entire nine-line sequence and the rules of engagement.

"The Soldiers are pretty well trained. They react well by now," Rook said. "By the time you tell them what to do, they're already doing it."

Quiet, with a reputation among his Soldiers for getting missions in on time, Rook takes turns swapping mission commander duties with Staff Sgt. Destiny Jackson, truck driver and platoon sergeant. For this mission, Jackson is assistant mission commander.

One of the reasons her Soldiers are so proficient may be that they have dealt with all of these situations in real life. The platoon has called for a medevac, reacted to small arms fire and reacted to IEDs, Jackson said.

"We get everyone involved, so everyone knows what to do," Jackson said.

This mission was to escort third country national trucks to Habur Gate and escort some more down to Forward Operating Base Q-West.

Running at night means the mission avoids congestion. With the curfew in effect, it's a little bit safer getting in and out of the city, according to Rook.

The Renegades staged their vehicles in the movement control yard. A small local national restaurant serves food from approved sources until the early morning hours, and several Soldiers took time for a snack and something to drink.

The mission commander finished the paperwork, the appointed time arrived and the Soldiers mounted up their vehicles to perform final communications checks. Rook checked the operations of the movement tracking system, or MTS, a global positioning satellite system that allows vehicles to communicate with each other and back to the company tactical operations center.

If this mission were a movie, some loud rock music would be on the soundtrack. Instead, the rumble of the diesel engines, a few jokes from the driver and the clanking of the turret as the gunner locked it into place filled the silence.

Oct. 4 turned into Oct. 5 as the trucks rolled through the labyrinthine streets of Mosul and over the straight, flat highways of the surrounding countryside. A new moon illuminated faintly the silhouettes of the passing vehicles, outshone by the headlights of the vehicles passing in the dark.

The Renegades are a platoon of relatively new Soldiers. Originally mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom I, the 494th supported the infantry with missions inside Mosul, Rook said.

The company returned to Fort Campbell, Ky., in March 2004. Nine months later, the unit was mobilized again and returned to the same camp it had recently left.

More than half of the platoon just came out of basic training, Jackson said. Although the Soldiers are new, they have come a long way.

"We train [the Soldiers] to take over if one of us goes down," Jackson said. "At any point, they'll be able to take over the mission."

One of these new Soldiers is Pfc. David Moody, a truck driver, who manned a .50-caliber machine gun. Moody arrived at the unit from advanced individual training one month before the unit deployed.

"I enjoy my job," Moody said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

From the turrets, gunners like Moody keep a sharp eye out for anything out of place that might signal an IED or an insurgent. The drivers keep their eyes on the road, and the assistant drivers keep an eye on the drivers.

The hours slipped away and the platoon finally reached the hills that marked the approach of Habur Gate. The small outpost near the Turkish border coordinates third country national supply caravans entering and leaving the country.

The 494th Soldiers got some sleep, checked e-mail and grabbed some food from the kitchen or exercised in the gym. The next night would bring the second leg of the journey back to Diamondback.

"Pick a Soldier, they'll be able to tell you a story," Jackson said. "We've been through a lot."

"I think about home and family," Moody said, explaining how he keeps himself motivated for the mission. "I thank God I'm alive every day."

Moody added his thanks to all the people who support the troops "back home."

"The major reason for success is the Soldiers are smart and learn quickly," Rook said. "They're well trained and keep an eye on what's going on around them."

• Date Taken: 11.08.2005
• Date Posted: 11.08.2005 13:22
• Story ID: 3666