Photo By Sgt. Mitch Armbruster | Spc. Jason Gueck, a Soldier with the 828th Quartermaster Company, tightens a bolt on...... read more read more
By Sgt. Mitch Armbruster
FORWARD OPERATING BASE ENDURANCE, Iraq - Transportation is a major part of the war effort for servicemembers deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 828th Quartermaster Company from Wilkes Barre, Pa., works from Forward Operating Base Endurance moving supplies and Soldiers from Q-West to the surrounding areas.
The 828th Soldiers move Class I through IX supplies, and drive to Balad, Mosul, Tikrit and other locations in Iraq. The unit has escorted Kellogg, Brown and Root, run gun truck missions and used a platoon to support the elections last December.
"We moved 1,700 barriers in support of the elections," said Capt. Ralph Ledbetter, the commander for the 828th.
Running missions as a team took time to develop. The unit has Soldiers from 11 different states and 43 different units. The unit's first battle assembly took place in March 2005, with more than 150 Soldiers staying in a hotel. Buses and flights were coordinated to get the Soldiers from their homes to the unit for their initial meeting.
"Just to get cohesion took a couple of months," Ledbetter said. "We had to send 126 Soldiers to school. We had 21 original Soldiers from the company."
The 828th worked together and is now running missions consistently and with great success. The unit was nominated for a unit excellence award based on the complexity of their deployment.
Ledbetter picked two Soldiers to fly back to Washington, D.C., to accept the award.
Awards aside, the 828th remains professional in all aspects of their service.
"All my Soldiers are highly motivated," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Hoover, a squad leader and combat logistics patrol commander for the 828th. "They're trying to win the hearts and minds of the people. We are working toward less confrontation."
Busy roads are a problem for trucks, and CLPs are stuck waiting for traffic to clear. Hoover explained Soldiers with the 828th show the Iraqi people on the roads of Iraq respect.
"We do our best not to show force. We're not out there to make enemies." he said.
Staff Sgt. Brett Schrader, a CLP commander for a mission during the elections with the 828th, stated that his Soldiers work to the best of their ability, which makes the job of a leader easier.
"We got hit by an IED (improvised explosive device), everyone knew what to do," he said.
Schrader knew his team could handle the situation and their reaction enabled him to focus on getting his team to safety because of his team's quick and accurate reaction to the incident.
Schrader admitted thinking of his Soldier's safety makes being a CLP commander stressful each time the unit goes on a mission, but he is confident his Soldiers know what they are doing.
Helping during the elections has left an impression on the Soldiers of the 828th. They were given a mission with a positive impact in the country and they succeeded. Soldiers met the people of northern Iraq and were welcomed into their homes for dinner. Through it all, one important idea has stayed with the leaders of the 828th.
"The people we came with are the people we are going home with," said Hoover.
Ledbetter agreed redeploying with all of his Soldiers would be their biggest accomplishment, regardless of all of the successful missions they've done.
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 05.16.2006 12:48 |
| Story ID: | 6402 |
| Location: | QAYYARAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 345 |
| Downloads: | 23 |
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