Watchers in the night

Photo By Staff Sgt. Andrea Merritt | Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, which is attached to the 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion to serve as their convoy security, head out in their gun trucks to link up with a transportation company before going on a mission.  

TAJI, IRAQ

03.04.2008

Story by Sgt. Andrea Merritt 

316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)

Spc. Andrea Merritt
1st Sustainment Brigade, Public Affairs Office

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – As a convoy security unit, the Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, 1st Sustainment Brigade, are charged with safely escorting convoys from one point to another.

During convoys, they are their "brother's keeper." The Soldiers have to remain alert and ever vigilant as they travel down potentially unsafe roads.

"The number one thing that's important to me when working with any transportation company is that they have confidence in us," said Sgt. 1st Class Donald Fisher, a gun truck commander and the platoon leader for first platoon, Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA, 1st SB.

The unit is attached to the 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. Although there have been IED blasts and small arms fire incidents, the unit has had no serious injuries, said Fisher. Confidence is exactly what their transportation units have in them.

"Our gun trucks have been good at finding stuff and not getting us into bad situations," said Sgt. Derek Frey, an assistant mission commander for the 494th Transportation Company, 1103rd Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 1st SB.

"We don't encounter a lot of engagements. Other people travel the same routes as us and a lot of them seem to have problems. We attribute that to the way our vehicles are performing," Fisher said.

During the convoy, the vehicles have constant communication with each other. If at a halt, all eyes in the vehicles are watching for anything suspicious as the gunner in the hatch keeps his weapon at the ready and scans the sectors around him.

"If you look like you know what you are doing, nobody really wants to mess with you. Don't make yourself a target," Fisher added.

Although the possibility of an enemy attack is real, the Soldiers enjoy traveling. They get to see many different parts of the country and interact with some of the locals.

"Some of the missions we run, we do get to interact with the local population and they're really receptive," said Fisher. "If you treat them with respect and show them that Americans aren't bad, maybe their attitude will change and they will start working with us."

When passing through a town, the Soldiers are friendly and wave at the people they see. They believe in respecting all people, but their biggest concern is the safety of the convoy.

"Our battery commander calls (my Soldiers) the 'Wayward Home for Lost Boys' because they have different (military occupational specialties) and attitudes as well as a wide age range; but they are some of the smartest, most courteous and faithful Soldiers you will ever run into," Fisher said.

The transporters have to trust the gun truck company to choose the routes they will travel and what actions to take if an incident occurs. The gun truck commander has to constantly think ahead and trust his Soldiers to do their jobs.

"I can't see what a 20-year-old gunner is doing at the back of a convoy so I have to trust him enough to make the right decision at the right time," Fisher concluded.

• Date Taken: 03.04.2008
• Date Posted: 03.04.2008 14:31
• Story ID: 16998
• Location: TAJI, IQ