Courtesy Photo | SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- Airmen and Soldiers take a moment to pray for each other's...... read more read more
Staff Sgt. Scott Campbell
386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
1/6/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- By dawn, Airmen of the 424th Medium Truck Detachment had finished preparing for their mission -- move Army 4th Infantry Division supplies and material from Kuwait into Iraq.
These Airmen do not fly their cargo, and it's quite possible they may go their entire deployment without even seeing a flightline. Instead, they drive the most dangerous roads in the world in tractor-trailers and gun trucks to deliver their cargo to Iraq.
"I want this to be a safe trip," convoy commander Tech. Sgt. Bill Bellmore said as he reviewed safety procedures, truck assignments and the latest intelligence on enemy threats to ground convoys.
Standing in mud inches deep caused by rain the day before, 10 Air Force vehicle operators listened to the briefing. After some final questions, Sergeant Bellmore gave the order to roll out and the mission began.
"We haul everything from vehicles to weapons and ammo -- everything. We keep everything running," vehicle operator Senior Airman David Marchuk said.
Still a few months shy of his three-year mark in the Air Force, Airman Marchuk is on his second deployment. But this is his first time driving convoys.
"I like it. This is something different. A lot of people get sent to Iraq, but we get to drive and see Iraq," he said, "My mom isn't too happy [about me convoying], of course, but she works with Army automotive engineering so she understands and supports me, which helps."
A few hours after leaving their base, the convoy reached the cargo pick-up point.
"Hope you brought a book or something. This takes a while," Airman Marchuk said. "The first and last days are always the longest, because of uploads and downloads. Once you're on the road, the time flies."
However, a scheduling mix-up at the Army staging yard means it's almost eight hours before the convoy is finally loaded. Sergeant Bellmore and the assistant convoy commander verify the cargo, contact the Army gun truck escorts and get the convoy back on the road.
About 10 p.m., the convoy stopped for the night at an encampment just on the Kuwaiti side of the Kuwait-Iraq border.
Excited by the prospect of sleep, the operators were disappointed when billeting turned out to be a tent only a few degrees warmer than the low 40s outside. But the Airmen didn't miss a beat as they pulled out their sleeping bags. A few grabbed coffee from the 24-hour coffee stand before settling down for the night.
Game face
The next day, the convoy's members had a more serious tone as they donned their body armor. In just a few minutes, the convoy was across the border into Iraq. Sergeant Bellmore radioed to the convoy to keep a sharp eye out for "civilians harassing the trucks."
Almost immediately, an obstruction in the road caused the convoy to halt and a handful of civilians ran up to the truck, ready to grab anything they could. However, the sight of one of the vehicle operators stepping out of the truck caused the would-be thieves to drop the chains they"d pulled from one truck.
After recovering the chains, the convoy rolled again. Past the outskirts of the border town behind, the road smoothed out. There was little to see except for the occasional sheep or camel herder.
Children as young as 7 or 8 occasionally stood by the road waving as the convoy rolled past. But the convoy's troops remained serious. The sighting of all vehicles and pedestrians was radioed up and down the line -- particularly at construction detours in the highway.
Assistant convoy commander Staff Sgt. Jason Mani drove the lead vehicle. To him, convoy duty is just a job that needs to get done. He'll still be in the combat zone for his son's third birthday, the second one he'll miss because of a deployment. So he looks forward to returning home and taking a vacation with his family.
"As long as it doesn't require camping, tents or living out of suitcases," he said.
The second stop of the day -- at another bleak Army camp -- had the Airmen switching from day to night driving to maintain security. With the latest possible departure time only a few hours away, Sergeant Bellmore decided to stay for the night. He wanted to ensure his operators got enough rest before continuing.
After checking into billeting, they tried to stay up late to help with the day-to-night transition. But they were all soon asleep.
However, Sergeant Bellmore wasn't happy with the projected departure time. Recent reports indicated probable enemy contact during the convoy's departure.
"They [convoy Airmen] know the risks," he said. "I just remind them to keep their eyes open, watch their sectors and roll on."
So the convoy spent the third day at the stop. Some of the Airmen took the chance to wash clothes or to run to the post exchange store during the little time they had.
Back on the road
Soldiers in three gun trucks from the Army's 3rd Infantry Division arrived to show the new rotation of 4th Infantry Division escorts the way to the next stop. After determining where each person would be in the convoy, Sergeant Bellmore called the group, Army and Air Force, together for a final brief before leaving.
This leg of the trip would take the convoy into Baghdad and the Airmen are ready to roll.
Senior Airman Johari Ginocchio, a high-spirited guy with a penchant for chewing on his toothbrush all day, was driving.
"Back home, I'm a glorified bus driver," he said. "Here, I feel like (I'm at) the tip of the spear they talk about."
The drive is not expected to be long, but as the hours pass it becomes apparent the escorts are lost -- a not entirely unexpected situation.
"We deliver anywhere in Iraq," Sergeant Bellmore said. "A lot of the places we go to, we've never been to before."
Finally, the convoy arrived at the gate of a forward base, only to discover they had overshot their destination by several miles. After getting directions, the convoy turned around.
After another hour and a half of driving and more U-turns, Sergeant Bellmore told the escorts they haf one last chance before he called their destination and had a patrol sent to lead them in. Fortunately, the escort truck sent to scout the road ahead retured quickly after discovering the entrance only a few miles away.
Although well past their projected arrival time, the receiving contacts at the base were flexible and the downloading of 250 tons of cargo went quickly.
Five hours later, the sun was just rising as the convoy finished the first half of its mission. The Airmen settled for the day into yet another Army open-bay tent.
The crew was tired. But a few decided to have breakfast before stretching out on a cot. The dining facility was crowded and more than a few looks were directed toward the convoy Airmen -- the only "non-Army" troops in the building.
"It's the same thing everywhere we go," Sergeant Bellmore said. He said some Soldiers always ask: "What are you [Air Force people] doing here?"
After delivering their cargo, the convoy's next job was to pick up the backhaul of cargo heading out of Iraq.
"We've got one Army division moving in and one going out, that's a lot of cargo," Sergeant Bellmore said.
A lucky break
The convoy got a lucky break. It turned out there was an unloaded convoy at their backhaul pick-up destination. Because it was able to pick up their cargo, that saved them having to make a trip through Baghdad. The Airmen were happy with the situation.
The biggest problem on the upload seemed to be a stubborn "pineapple" on a truck driven by Senior Airman Candice Crawford. That's a pin used to secure containers onto flatbed trailer.
The former air traffic controller -- whose off-duty education is in medical forensics -- seemed unlikely to be driving a tractor-trailer in Iraq.
"It's not as bad as I thought it"d be," she said. But she can't wait to go home and see her daughter, who turns 14 months old in January.
Eventually, Sergeant Mani and a civilian truck driver took a breaker bar to the pin until it gave in. Then the upload actually went quite fast, until a major problem hit.
"Apparently, our escorts have left us," Sergeant Bellmore said. Then he immediately started making calls to the Army battalion to find out what happened.
The confusion was about which Army unit was responsible for escorting the convoy. The convoy was ready to go, but couldn't leave without the gun truck escorts.
Disappointed, the Airmen headed back to the tent. The escorts never arrived. Finally, Sergeant Bellmore radioed the bad news to the convoy.
"We're leaving tomorrow," Sergeant Bellmore said. "I'm not angry though. These things happen and there's nothing I can do. You just have to be ready for these things. That's my motto, "flexibility is the key.""
Hurry up and wait
The following night, the convoy members gathered at the staging yard. Rested and energetic, they joked and jostled until the pre-departure brief.
Unfortunately, a report of a possible enemy threat on the planned route prevented the convoy from leaving until someone could investigate the threat. Knowing they wouldn't be leaving any time soon, the members tried to get comfortable in their trucks -- away from the cold -- until they could leave.
Several hours passed and even the chatter on the radio died. Some Airmen joked with each other. But most waited quietly reading or trying to nap.
"Any change in status?" a voice over the radio asked.
"Negative," Sergeant Bellmore said. There's a new threat to check out.
Finally, the call to roll came and the Airmen thankfully got the convoy in motion. But it was clear the waiting took its toll on their energy.
Thankfully, all was calm during the trip. After hours of driving, the convoy was back at the base where it had stopped two days before.
A few of the Airmen grabbed an early breakfast. But as dawn broke, most headed for a tent to pull out their sleeping bags and settle in for some rest. When the Airmen wake up, they realize it's already dinner time.
"Where"d the day go?" Airman Crawford asked. They"d only parked their trucks about eight hours earlier.
As it turned out, the team had plenty of time to transition back to day operations. Again, there were no escorts. The escorts that brought them to this location had to return to their base. So the had to wait for new escorts.
"We're not leaving until tomorrow morning at the earliest," Sergeant Bellmore said.
At noon the next day, the convoy finally received word their escorts would arrive later in the day. Unfortunately, this meant spending another night.
The next leg of the trip would be a long one. So after driving to get to the convoy's location, the escorts needed to rest before continuing. Sergeant Bellmore told his people to expect to roll first thing in the morning.
That was on New Year's Eve. And although the base was going to celebrate, most of the convoy Airmen were in bed well before the "ball dropped."
Heading home
With no more cargo to load or drop, and everyone well-rested from the unexpected delays at the base for the last two nights, Sergeant Bellmore briefed the latest on enemy threats. Then the convoy got back on the road.
Despite hoping to rest after reaching Kuwait, the convoy Airmen were told to continue on to the final delivery point and return to their home base.
This leg was not only the end of this particular convoy, it was also the last time this group of Airmen would convoy together.
A reorganization, due to mission demands and availability of unit assets, meant they would stay in the unit, but travel with new team members.
"We're the A-Team. It's like a big family," Sergeant Bellmore said, summing up the bond the Airmen developed over the course of many missions. Missions often last eight to 10 days, or even longer.
They call themselves the A-Team with pride and they joke and bicker like any family. Some of the Airmen are disappointed they won't roll together again.
But while on the road, the Airmen rarely went a day without a surprised Soldier discovering the Air Force doesn't just fly cargo anymore. Despite the same reaction at every stop, the Airmen were glad to explain exactly who they were and why the Air Force was there.
"We're the equivalent of "88 Mike's." But we drive anything," Airman Ginocchio said, surprising many Soldiers by using Army lingo to explain their nontraditional jobs. Mike 88's are Army motor transport operators.
Almost every time, the surprise came with a look of newfound respect. Because, while this convoy was safe, the roads of Iraq are deadly. Convoys must brave improvised explosive devices, hostile fire and other enemy activity on a trip. That is in addition to the common, everyday road hazards most are familiar with.
But each day, Airmen conducting convoys is a more common sight.
Airman Marchuk said Soldiers always ask them why they are there since 'there aren't any planes here." He and the other convoy Airmen don't mind the questions.
"No matter what branch of service you're in, if you're called to do something, you have to do what you have to do," he said.
| Date Taken: | 01.10.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 01.10.2006 09:28 |
| Story ID: | 5035 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 117 |
| Downloads: | 16 |
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