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    Drawing down one convoy at a time

    Drawing down one convoy at a time

    Photo By Spc. Mathew Schlueter | Soldiers, known as "Earthpig 30," from Charlie Company, 1/34th Brigade Special Troops...... read more read more

    CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - Convoy Escort Team “Earthpig 30” from Charlie Company 1/34th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, attached to 1st Squadron, 94th Cavalry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division “Red Bulls,” conducted convoy escorting for 233rd Transportation Company, 3rd Sustainment Command, along with third country nationals from Camp Buehring, Kuwait, to Victory Base Complex, Iraq, Nov.16.

    “Earthpig 30” is currently deployed to Camp Buehring, Kuwait, in support of Operation New Dawn and will be providing security in the final months of the drawdown in Iraq.

    Once a Convoy Escort Team crosses the border into Iraq, anything can happen. All things from routine breakdowns to being hit by an improvised explosive device can happen when a convoy is on the road. CETs must prepare for it all. “Earthpig 30” is no different.

    The soldiers based out of Hutchinson and Redwood Falls, Minn., meet twenty-four hours out from their mission start point time at the maintenance area for their precombat checks and precombat inspections. All their equipment is laid on the floor in neatly matching piles for inspections. Truck commanders go through a checklist making sure each individual soldier has their equipment in working order. Capt. Peter DeCrans, the commander of Charlie Company, walks through and does a personal check of everything himself after soldiers’ equipment is inspected by the platoon leader and platoon sergeant.

    “After PCCs and PCIs is when we get our [start point] time,” said Sgt. Mark Weekly, a truck commander for 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, Charlie Company, 1/34th BSTB, attached to 1-94 CAV.”

    The day of the mission, the trucks of “Earthpig 30” move to the staging lanes to prepare to head out on their mission. Prior to leaving, drivers conduct a preventive maintenance check and service to their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle. After doing PMCS on their vehicles, drivers load their MRAP according to a load plan set up by the CET commander prior to their mission. Every truck has an identical load plan, just in case of an emergency, so that equipment can be easily accessed without delay.

    Once at the border of Kuwait and Iraq, which is known as Khabari Crossing (K Crossing) Convoy Escort Team “Earthpig 30” mounts their weapons and meets up with the 233rd Transportation Company, 3rd Sustainment Command, to conduct a safety brief. A prayer was said before putting on their body armor and mounting up.

    Weekly commented, "I do my final inspection before the safety brief to make sure our MRAP’s crew serve weapon (a machine gun) is operational and to make sure everything is strapped down."

    Shortly after leaving the K Crossing, the convoy was brought to a halt for suspicious activity. Weekly and another soldier in the squad investigated the situation; they determined that there was no immediate threat and continued the mission to Camp Adder, Iraq.

    Enroute to Victory Base Complex, the convoy was halted by two maintenance emergencies which set the convoy back several hours.

    Weekly added, “You have to be prepared with maintenance issues, because they will happen from time to time.”

    At K crossing, the 233rd Transportation Company and the TCNs parted ways with “Earthpig 30” to go through border customs. “Earthpig 30” then fueled up their MRAPs and did a hasty tire change to move back to Camp Buehring, where they off-loaded their equipment cleaned their weapons and recuperated.

    “I think this is something I am going to look back on with mostly good memories, which I am grateful for,” said Pvt. Denne, “I am going to look back [and] say I was a part of something big; I was with people I trusted and cared about, and even if I don’t do anything for the rest of my life, I know that here, what we’re doing now, we are actually accomplishing something that’s affecting many people, American and Iraqi, in all sorts of ways.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 11.20.2011
    Date Posted: 12.01.2011 23:38
    Story ID: 80798
    Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW

    Web Views: 242
    Downloads: 0

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