Photo By Staff Sgt. V. Michelle Woods | Spc. Haidel St. Charles, radio operator, Convoy Support Team, Signal Co., 1st...... read more read more
CONTIGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - As convoys roll in and out of Iraq and Kuwait, soldiers need a great deal of support as they provide critical supplies to units and withdraw U.S. equipment.
The soldiers of Signal Company, 1st Sustainment Brigade Convoy Support Teams, from Fort Riley, Kan., provide necessary sustainment support.
While designated as a signal support company which traditionally provides communication support, this Signal Company has adapted their mission as the CST for 1SB.
Stationed throughout Kuwait and Iraq, the CST’s services differ depending on the location. However, in all cases, the CSTs serve as a vital link between the soldiers on the convoys and the varying bases where they deliver supplies and pick up equipment.
Their mission is to alleviate some of the stresses and problems that arise during convoy missions and provide important services to the soldiers coming through the base.
With convoys ranging from four to 15 days, soldiers can be expected to be on duty for up to 24 hours straight depending on mission requirements and the severity of any problems that arise. The CST greets the convoys at different bases as they arrive.
“We help support convoys as they’re going north and southbound throughout Iraq,” said Sgt. Michael Graham, satellite communications operator, 1SB, non-commissioned officer in charge of CST Contingency Operating Base Adder. “Our mission actually helps a lot. It helps relieve a lot of stress of the convoy and the convoy escort team commanders.”
A 10-year veteran on his second deployment to Iraq, Graham oversees operations for his platoon and ensures the CST mission gets accomplished.
Graham said the CSTs provide convoys with a variety of services which include billeting, intelligence reports and information on significant activities in the community such as important Muslim holidays and events. He said they help soldiers and leaders navigate the bases by providing maps and informing them of internet cafes and shops.
“We track their maintenance issues and make sure it gets fixed,” said Spc. Dustin S. Korte, light-wheel vehicle mechanic, 1SB. “We also track the convoys. If we weren’t here, then their unit wouldn’t be able to track where they are.”
Graham said the CSTs also provide phone and internet for convoy commanders to contact their unit. They also track the movement of the convoys and report their status back to the convoy’s unit.
“We provide intelligence summary reports so convoys are aware of what’s going on, on the roads as far as significant activities, any improvised explosives devices, any threat warnings that are happening in the theater and anything that’s happened in the last 24-48 hours. We can go back further if they need that,” said Graham.
In addition to the services provided to convoys, CSTs also make it a top priority to ensure convoy vehicles are working properly by assisting with vehicle maintenance issues.
“We don’t perform the maintenance on the vehicles for them but we help direct and escort them and make sure that it’s done in a timely manner so they can leave when they’re suppose to,” said Graham.
If a vehicle in the convoy cannot be fixed in time, the CST has vehicles that convoy commanders can use temporarily in order to continue the mission.
“We provide different vehicles like Caimans and heavy equipment transporters if a convoy vehicle breaks down,” said Graham. “We’re able to supply them with an additional vehicle in absence of their vehicle so they can carry on the mission and not have to stay too long.”
The CST is responsible for maintaining their vehicles so they are ready for the convoys to use in case of an emergency or break down of a convoy vehicle.
“We have to keep up the maintenance on those vehicles and that’s what the mechanics are here for,” said Graham. “It’s a lot of information we have to handle each day.”
Korte, a three-year veteran who serves as a mechanic for one of the CSTs, said they do weekly preventive maintenance checks and services on all of their vehicles.
While it varies from different CST locations, Graham said the CST Adder processes about two to four convoys a day with an average of about 2,500 soldiers a month using the CST’s services.
During the push to meet President Obama’s deadline for the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq, the CSTs processed up to twice as many convoys and soldiers during the month of July.
“About 4,393 soldiers went through our area of operations, CST Adder, during the month of July,” said Graham. “We were working 12-hour shifts the whole summer because we had to. We needed a lot of manpower for that month.”
“The drawdown was pretty hectic,” added Korte. “I think we averaged about six convoys a day in the month of July so we had a total of 181 in the month of July. At one point we had 15 convoys on ground and out of those 15 convoys, there was a total of about 20 maintenance issues. We were out all day trying to find out what was going on with them.”
“We had about 18 tents that we were issuing out to convoys,” said Graham. “Throughout the day, we had to issue out tents and go down there during the summertime. We had maintenance problems a lot because of the heat; it went up to 130 degrees during the day. Air conditioners were freezing up left and right, so we had to keep going down and putting in work orders so the crews could get their rest. We were trying to make it as nice as possible for them.”
In addition to the CST mission, 1SB soldiers are still required to complete Army professional development training. Graham said a few challenges they face include finding time to complete the training while retaining enough soldiers to effectively run the CST.
“Even though we have the mission going on, we still try to take care of professional development,” said Graham.
Graham said they have soldiers attending Warrior Leader Course in addition to completing Army training and development classes, leaving fewer soldiers available for the mission. Although he said it can be difficult at times, the CST remains flexible and manages to successfully train soldiers and fulfill the duties of their mission.
“Tracking all the intelligence that we have to report on and knowing what’s going on in the area gave a lot of us a bigger picture of what our support is, besides just shooting to a satellite and providing communication,” said Graham. “Now you get to see where it plays into effect.”
While the U.S. continues to withdraw from Iraq, the convoy support teams of 1st Sustainment Brigade will continue to accommodate and provide services to convoys moving in and out of Iraq and Kuwait.
“Without us, the convoys wouldn’t be able to move as smoothly as they do,” said Graham. “If they had to do it on their own, it would make it a lengthier process for the drawdown.”
| Date Taken: | 01.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 01.22.2011 03:09 |
| Story ID: | 63990 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Signal Soldiers take on CST mission in desert, by SSG V. Michelle Woods, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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