Motor Transport: Leading the Way

Photo By Sgt. Kaitlynn Hendricks | U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Angel Pedroza, a native of Phoenix, Az, directs Lance Cpl. Ryan Frega, a native of Long Island, NY, both Motor Transport Operators with Combat Logistics Group 2, on where to put the Logistic Vehicle System Replacement MKR18 on Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, September 9, 2021. The Department of Defense, through U.S. Northern Command, and in support of the Department of Homeland Security, is providing transportation, temporary housing, medical screening, and general support for at least 50,000 Afghan evacuees at suitable facilities, in permanent or temporary structures, as quickly as possible. This initiative provides vulnerable Afghans essential support at secure locations outside Afghanistan. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sergeant Kaitlynn M. Hendricks)  

QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, UNITED STATES

09.13.2021

Story by Sgt. Kaitlynn Hendricks 

Operation Allies Welcome - Operation Allies Refuge   

Late August, as Marine Corps Base Quantico began preparing for the arrival of civilians being evacuated from Afghanistan, motor transportation Marines with Combat Logistics Group 2, headed north up Interstate 95 to Quantico to lead the way for the heavy lifting and moving.
Lance Cpl. Ryan Frega, a native of Long Island, New York, and a motor transportation operator with CLB 2, knew the unit’s mission was clear, “Motor T’s (transportation) importance in this operation is to provide logistics support, whether it be chow, fuel, or trailers” he said.
“Operators are the drivers for Motor T and operate the vehicles while mechanics are the maintainers of the vehicles,” Frega continued.
Operators perform a variety of jobs, but at the end of the day their mission is to get all manner of things from one place to another. Frega and his fellow Marines pointed out a key to Motor T mission success- keeping the vehicles operational and on the road. Wear and tear adds up on the trucks, trailers, high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV), and other equipment. This is where the motor transportation mechanics come in.
“What I like most about my military occupational specialty (MOS) is the satisfaction of knowing that me and my fellow Marines get to keep trucks running,” said Cpl. Wyatt Cairns, a Marine from Augusta, Georgia, and a motor transportation mechanic with CLB 2, “and it allows people to complete the mission at hand and give Marines, units, and civilians the supplies they need.”
Cairns explained that while he went through months of training at school, there is no substitute to what he’s learned on the job.
“We go through 3 months of training to familiarize ourselves with these trucks but the real learning happens in the fleet while working on the trucks,” Cairns added. “Most mechanics spend anywhere from 8 hours fixing a truck to 80 hours depending on the severity of the problem.”
Lance Cpl. Angel Pedroza, who joined the Marine Corps from Phoenix Arizona, loves what he does because of the impact it has. “I enjoy my MOS, because I know I’m helping people and I know I have an impact on the mission,” he said.

• Date Taken: 09.13.2021
• Date Posted: 09.13.2021 17:58
• Story ID: 405129
• Location: QUANTICO, VIRGINIA, US
• Hometown: AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, US
• Hometown: LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, US
• Hometown: PHOENIX, ARIZONA, US