By 1st Lt. Danielle R. Gordon
CONTINGENCY OPERATING LOCATION Q-WEST, Iraq — Soldiers with the 40th Transportation Company, 395th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), conducted a training stand-down on Feb. 6 and 7, at Contingency Operating Location Q-West, Iraq.
The training stand-down focused on safety and ensured all training and procedures met or exceeded established standards, said Capt. Juan Villatoro, the 40th Trans. Compnay commander and Los Angeles, native.
"Bottom line, the Soldier has a better understanding of their duties and responsibility, not only as a driver but as a leader when it comes to safety," Villatoro said. "The leaders are more engaged and on the lookout for safety."
The training consisted of events which included hands-on preventive maintenance measures and classroom instruction taught by some of the company's senior non-commissioned officers, said Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Grogman, from Kansas City, Mo.
The unit rotated round-robin through the various classes, covering different vehicles, forms, loads, and scenarios, Villatoro said. The refresher training used the Army's "crawl, walk, run" method, focusing the unit on sometimes commonplace and overlooked methods and procedures.
"I believe the last two days have made this unit better and better," Villatoro said.