Courtesy Photo | From left, Airman 1st Class Dustin Ballard, Senior Airman Jeremy Book and Staff Sgt....... read more read more
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EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ark. -- After the war in Iraq began, thousands of service members were deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2005, the 188th Wing, then a fighter wing, had many Airmen called up to support contingency operations in Iraq due to the increased operations tempo and buildup of troops in the area of responsibility. This buildup included backfilling Airmen to positions in the U. S. Army to help fill critical roles necessary to gain an advantage over the enemy. Master Sgt. William Brown, then a staff sergeant, was among those from the 188th selected to fill that role.
Deployed to Tikrit, Iraq, during the heart of the buildup, Brown was attached to the Army Reserve's 917th Corps Support Group, 1058th Gun Truck Detachment where his skills as a logistics readiness squadron troop would meld with the Army's needs for a vehicle commander on convoys.
The primary responsibility of the 917th CSG was the transportation of mission critical personnel and equipment throughout the country. These assignments required numerous hours outside the wire leaving convoys vulnerable to an enemy ambush. Due to these risks, a Cobra helicopter often escorted convoys as an added measure of safety.
During the deployment Brown was assigned as a gun truck commander, a role typically held by an Army non-commissioned officer with tactical experience leading a squad in battle. His task was to provide security for the convoy and maintain communication with the convoy commander and the other vehicles in the convoy.
On June 3, Brown's morning began at forward operating base Speicher, Iraq, where he and his truck crew received the day's assignment. A supply truck convoy needed to transport mission critical supplies and third country nationals from FOB Speicher to Logistic Support Area Anaconda, Iraq. During the mission brief, they were informed there would be no air support for this particular convoy. It was a day that Brown would always remember.
The 1058th Gun Truck Det. mapped their route during their planning briefing as the convoy prepared their vehicles and armed up four gun trucks. They would be utilizing main supply route Tampa, a well-known military convoy route in the AOR. As the convoy made its way outside the wire, the first vehicles in the convoy headed south with Brown's crew bringing up the rear.
As the crew neared their destination, a white sedan in the passing lane was spotted and swerved towards the convoy, startling the crews. The sedan then immediately engaged the convoy with AK-47 automatic rifles as they sped by. Their intent was to do as much damage to the convoy as possible as they fled into the distance down MSR Tampa. Brown's truck cab had been hit during the attack, down the side of the vehicle, up through the windows and into the turret.
"There was a lot of panic at first," Brown exclaimed. "It was the first time our vehicle or I had been targeted during our trips outside the wire."
During the attack, Brown's driver maintained composure to ensure the truck wasn't separated from the convoy and targeted again. Due to the risk of collateral damages with the civilian population in the area, Brown's gunner was unable to return fire as the white sedan passed by.
In an instant, it seemed as if the attack was over and Brown's role as truck commander came quickly into play at a pivotal time.
Brown quickly assessed the situation without hesitation and expeditiously radioed in a report detailing the enemy contact containing critical information for the quick reaction force team to try and locate the insurgent vehicle.
"We quickly searched one another for injuries and thankfully none of us had been hit," Brown noted. "We went through three stages of training prior to this deployment but none of those scenarios really prepared us for that moment and how we would react."
Unfortunately, with countless white sedans driving on MSR Tampa that day those involved with this attack were never located.
Brown finished out his lengthy deployment without another life-threatening situation while on a convoy mission, but he will never forget the impact of that day on his life.
"I still have to deal with the memories from the attack," Brown recalled. "But it was huge to build a bond with these guys. I didn't know them well at first, but after months of being together we built a brotherhood that will continue after I'm gone."
After more than a decade, Brown was recognized for his quick thinking and heroism that day when he was awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal for his meritorious service in Iraq.
"I'm excited to be among one of the few 188th members to have received this honor, and I'm thankful that I was able to have my family by my side," Brown said.
He is one of a select few 188th Wing Airmen to be presented the AFCAM since the start of the global war on terror in 2001.
| Date Taken: | 11.07.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2015 14:40 |
| Story ID: | 182051 |
| Location: | EBBING AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, AR, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 188th's Brown reflects on combat tour that changed his life, by SSgt Hannah Dickerson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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