Convoy Commanders rule the roads

Photo By Spc. Richard Vogt | To the convoy commander, no detail is too small. A Soldier from the 454th Transportation Company tops off his tank prior to another convoy.  

QAYYARAH, IRAQ

03.11.2006

Courtesy Story

345th Public Affairs Detachment

QAYYARAH WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq (Mar. 8, 2006) " It is a demanding job, but someone has to do it. And if your rank is staff sergeant or above, you will do it, eventually.

The job is convoy commander and it is an important job in the 454th Transportation Company.

The convoy commander is responsible for all vehicles and personnel in the convoy as well as planning for a convoy.

"You never know when the plan will be affected or when the mission will change. And it does change, usually at the last minute," said Master Sgt. Kimberly Heiss, one of the convoy commanders in the 454th. An aspiring convoy commander will shadow a convoy commander and learn by watching.

An aspiring convoy commander must pass a certification phase that covers all of the components of convoy operations and score 80 out of a possible 100 points.

The certification is not a pencil and paper test but the real deal, out on the road, full-steam-ahead operation.

The convoy commander has to create a manifest, do mission preparation, make sure vehicles get preventive maintenance and service, get vehicles on-line, and do pre-combat checks and inspections.

"If someone goes on the road and doesn't have the proper gear, if it's eye protection, hearing protection, or IBA [Individual Body Armor], it falls on the convoy commander," Heiss said. "It's the ultimate responsibility of the convoy commander of everyone in that entire CLiP [convoy logistical patrol]."

"It's not an easy thing to put together these missions because they are always changing," Heiss said. "The best convoy commanders are the ones that are able to adjust to these changes because nothing stays the same."

Heiss admitted that she felt confident when she became a certified convoy commander.

"I felt like I was on top of my game and knew exactly what I needed to do to complete the mission and take care of the Soldiers so I felt real comfortable," she said.

Once one becomes a convoy commander the learning does not stop.

"I've learned a lot from the AARs [after-action review]," said Staff Sgt. Steven Stahl, a convoy commander who used to be in a maintenance platoon. "It was an eye-opening experience." If the convoy commander messes up, he realized, "It could be bad."

The 454th Transportation Company has made professionalism their trademark and success a habit. With the experience of their certified commanders and the ambition of the aspiring commanders, the tradition will continue.

• Date Taken: 03.11.2006
• Date Posted: 03.11.2006 11:29
• Story ID: 5676
• Location: QAYYARAH, IQ