Convoys prepare to leave Iraq for good

Photo By Spc. Anthony Zane | The first truck of a large convoy carrying military tactical vehicles pulls out of the staging area on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Oct. 25.  

TALLIL, IRAQ

10.27.2011

Story by Spc. Anthony Zane 

362nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Each day the number of convoys leaving Iraq is growing as Operation New Dawn nears the end of mission.

October has been a busy month as many of the individual military units on Contingency Operating Base Adder are packing up and sending equipment back home as the U.S. military presence in Iraq continues to decline.

More and more convoys of vehicles and equipment are being packed up and shipped out in preparation to exit Iraq, said Staff Sgt. Erick Torres, convoy commander, 233rd Transportation Company, from Phenix City, Ala.

Each truck carrying military vehicles. including High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles and tanks is backed up to a ramp and the vehicles are carefully loaded onto the flatbeds.

“The most challenging part of this job is loading the vehicles,” said Torres.

Once the cargo is loaded onto the trucks and the paperwork is complete, the convoy is then lined up at a designated staging area to await departure.

The U.S. still has thousands of Soldiers and an abundance of equipment that need to be shipped home before the year's end.
Soldiers and civilian contractors work long hours to make sure equipment is packed properly and ready for transit.

Part of being the convoy commander is identifying vehicles and equipment by serial number and matching them against the unit rosters before they are shipped, said Torres. It makes for long days, but it is a necessary part of the process, he said.

Each convoy is assigned a security team to escort the cargo from COB Adder to their final destination, said Torres.

As the convoys continue to roll out of COB Adder, it is a good sign that the U.S. Forces presence in Iraq is coming to an end after nearly ten years.

• Date Taken: 10.27.2011
• Date Posted: 10.27.2011 03:51
• Story ID: 79086
• Location: TALLIL, IQ