Transportation companies improve security on road

Photo By Amy Christopherson | Lt. Col. Robert Villalobos, the deputy commanding officer for the 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and a Palm Coast, Fla., native, introduces Pfc. Santiago Buck, a truck driver with the 941st Transportation Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, and a Charleston, S.C., native at the graduation for the Company Intelligence Support Team course on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, May 28. Buck was the honor graduate.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

05.28.2011

Story by Spc. Amy Christopherson 

4th Sustainment Brigade

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Nine soldiers with the 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, participated in a graduation ceremony signifying the completion of Company Intelligence Support Team training May 28 on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

The five-day course taught the soldiers to collect, analyze and disseminate intelligence at the company level. The training is aimed at transportation soldiers with the 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sust. Bde., and convoy escort teams with the 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, who provide convoy security for the transportation companies.

Lt. Col. Robert Villalobos, the deputy commanding officer of the 4th Sust. Bde., and a Palm Coast, Fla., native, spoke to the soldiers at the graduation.

“Nobody knows the roads that we travel like the soldiers who use them every day,” Villalobos said. “They know every piece of trash and every pothole in the road. Each soldier is able to play a role in his own safety as well as the safety of others.”

He said the soldiers learned how to use several intelligence systems to understand what is important and how to pass the information on in order to improve security on the roads. The intelligence can be used by 4th Sust. Bde. and all other units in the area to keep soldiers safe.

“The best information comes from the soldiers who drive the roads every day,” Villalobos said. “We’ve given them the tools to turn that knowledge into useful intel. Working together to make sure the roads are secure will be very important to our mission.”

Spc. Greg Breha, a truck driver with the 15th Transportation Company, 749th CSSB, and a Cleveland native, said the class was a big eye-opener for him.

“Now we can give information to other battalions and companies that will improve the safety of the personnel out on the road every day,” he said.

Breha, who is on his second deployment to Iraq, said it is interesting to see the improvements in tactics, techniques and procedures as they develop.

“This gives me more confidence that I can help other soldiers get back home safely,” he said.

• Date Taken: 05.28.2011
• Date Posted: 05.30.2011 01:50
• Story ID: 71298
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ