Courtesy Photo | Pfc. Kevin Thompson, 725th Transportation Company truck driver, checks the oil on his...... read more read more
SGT RACHEL BRUNE
101ST SUSTAINMENT BDE
4-5 NOVEMBER 2005
The young Soldier stood, looking somewhat dejected.
He had shown up at the 725th Transportation Company headquarters at 1 a.m. for a mission to an outlying forward operating base, only to find out someone was playing a joke and the mission didn't exist.
His fellow Soldiers quickly picked up the story, sharing it back and forth on their trip to Logistical Support Area Diamondback, how "â?¦ Acosta told the new guys they had to go on a mission to Speicher."
Once out on the road, however, the Soldiers were all business.
On a recent trip to Diamondback Nov. 4, Sgt. 1st Class William Belch, gun truck platoon sergeant, kept one eye on the road and the other on the other trucks in the line.
Belch, a former infantry Soldier from Edenton, N.C., is one of many Soldiers from combat arms who ride with the unit.
About 75 percent of the unit was cross-leveled in for the deployment, according to Capt. T. Sydney Shinn, company commander. About 30 of those Soldiers come from combat arms specialties.
The National Guard unit, originally a company of fuelers, now acts as a transportation company, hauling all classes, or types, of supplies around the 3rd Corps Support Command area of operations.
The gun truck platoon provides security for the truck drivers hauling supplies on tractor-trailers. The unit created the platoon before deploying, after researching what other transportation units in Iraq were doing, according to Shinn.
"We scoured the Internet, and got information from everything from the Vietnam era to CFLCC," said Belch, referring to the Coalition Forces Land Component Command.
At that time, there was nothing on how to train gun trucks, according to Belch. Once the unit arrived in Kuwait, "we were able to operate as gun trucks and do some firing."
Another week of training with the 40th Transportation Company, also based on Q-West, "brought it all together," said Belch.
"[My Soldiers] get tasks done with little to no supervision," said Belch. "That makes my job real easy."
In addition to the transportation mission, 725th Trans. Soldiers contribute to the force protection mission on Q-West Base Complex, providing security at the entry control point and the third country national staging area, according to Shinn.
As a National Guard unit, many of the Soldiers have civilian expertise in driving. These Soldiers were tapped primarily for the actual hauling missions; a course of action that Shinn believes contributes to the unit's record of conducting missions for four months in theater with no major accidents or rollovers.
The maintenance yard is where the drivers make sure their vehicles are ready to go out on the road and complete the mission. Under the leadership of Chief Warrant Officer (2) William Hollingsworth, of Durham, N.C., the 15 mechanics and one clerk make sure the trucks are ready to roll.
The drivers conduct "supervised" preventive maintenance, checks and service of the vehicles. If they run into a problem that requires greater expertise, the mechanics are there with the solution.
"Everyone works together as a team," said Pfc. Kevin Thompson, truck driver, from Wilmington, N.C. "Everyone takes care of each other."
Thompson, originally from the 30th Infantry Brigade from North Carolina, was one of 15 Soldiers who volunteered for a second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 725th Trans. Co.
"It's a lot of fun," Thompson said about his job as a driver. "When everyone's doing everything right â?¦ you get a really good feeling."
Since the unit is operating as a transportation company in lieu of its original mission, most Soldiers find themselves learning new skills on the job. Two of these Soldiers, Master Sgt. Allen Castelloe and Sgt. 1st Class Vernon White found themselves learning to be Truckmasters, according to Shinn.
As Truckmasters, Castelloe and White are responsible for coordinating missions, scheduling crews, assigning vehicles, coordinating maintenance schedules and tasking mission assignments, according to Shinn.
"These two Soldiers had no previous experience as Truckmasters, and no formal training after learning of the company's mission," said Shinn in an e-mail interview. "Yet, to see them today, one would never know they were not from a transportation background."
Shinn spoke highly of all of his troops who, he wrote, depict the Warrior Ethos.
"They have been asked to put aside their daily lives, conduct a mission they were not trained to do, and have proven that they can accomplish the missions with pride, dignity, and professionalism," said Shinn.
"Our guys are always working together," said Cpl. Patrick Egan, a former infantry Soldier from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who is now a gun truck platoon driver. "We're a pretty tight group."
Egan and Sgt. Stephen Bohan, originally from Houston, Texas, are both prior service Marines. Bohan joined the Army National Guard in 2004.
"We like to joke," said Egan, urging an inquiring reporter to ask about Bohan's bullhorn.
"I borrow it from the first sergeant, and he lets me call reveille," said Bohan. "No one seems to enjoy it as much as I do."
Regarding the practical joke played on the unsuspecting new Soldiers, Bohan had only one complaint. "I'm just mad because I didn't think of it." USAR
| Date Taken: | 11.17.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 11.17.2005 16:35 |
| Story ID: | 3764 |
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| Web Views: | 1,102 |
| Downloads: | 24 |
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