Artillerymen turn into truck drivers

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Matthew Hoff untangles a cargo strap used to secure his load to the back of his palletized load system. Hoff is a truck driver with Charlie 2-5 Field Artillery.  

LOGISTICAL BASE SEITZ, IRAQ

03.16.2006

Courtesy Story

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LOGISTICAL BASE SEITZ, Iraq " Although trained to be the "king of battle," most artillerymen deployed to Iraq find themselves in a myriad of roles. Soldiers of Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment now operate palletized load systems (PLS) as truck drivers.

"We have several drivers and trucks, we push almost all classes of supplies," said Capt. Andrew Lennox, battery commander.

Working with both Kellogg Brown and Root and an Iraqi truck company, the unit has accumulated nearly 165,000 miles in a little over two months, Lennox said.

Their transition began in May 2005, when the first few battery Soldiers started training on the PLS system at an Army facility in Kansas.

"Before we came out here, we were dealing with 63Ds (artillery mechanic) and 52Ds (power generation equipment repair)," said Master Sgt. Edwin Kolb, acting battery first sergeant and maintenance NCOIC. "We were nowhere near affiliated with PLSs."

In Kansas, the Soldiers learned how to diagnose and troubleshoot the PLS system. The platform training was beneficial, since the unit has not hit any maintenance problems that could not be handled within the unit, Kolb said.

"I sort of expected the worst going from Paladins to PLSs," said Staff Sgt. Brian Glascoe, motor sergeant. "We haven't had too many problems. We have a metal shop here on Seitz, so we can fix pretty much anything. That's helped."

Maintaining the PLS is comparable with the M109 Paladin, Kolb said. "With the technology today, it's more troubleshooting and understanding," he explained. "You have to learn computers with it. It's a blessing these guys are very flexible."

Maintenance efforts have helped keep the trucks moving.

"These guys are very versatile," Kolb said. "We also had adequate time to prepare to make sure we had the right equipment here."

"Without those guys, we wouldn't be able to push the missions we've been pushing," Lennox added.

Spc. Matthew Hoff, a medic-turned-truck driver, said although he doesn't perform his original job very often, there are circumstances where he's called on to use his old skills.

"These are my friends, they trust me to take care of them," he said. "Sometimes it gets pretty busy trying to do both, but I don't mind. [Truck driving] is what the Army wants me to do, it's what my country wants me to do."

All-in-all, the switch has gone over well, despite the challenges. "It was a good transition," said Lennox. "The guys definitely worked hard. From everything we're pushing, they say we have the mission down."

• Date Taken: 03.16.2006
• Date Posted: 03.16.2006 10:10
• Story ID: 5753
• Location: LOGISTICAL BASE SEITZ, IQ