1229th TC keeps driving

Photo By Ensign Margaret Taylor | Pvt. Christian Grossman (left), a motor transport operator with the 1229th Transportation Company, Maryland Army National Guard, practices with an M249 during his unit’s annual training at Camp Dawson, West Virginia, on June 11, 2016. For many of the soldiers, this June 5-19 AT was the first time they'd had the opportunity to fire the M249 since Basic Combat Training. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Margaret Taylor, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

CAMP DAWSON AIR FORCE RESERVE CENTER, WV, UNITED STATES

06.11.2016

Story by Staff Sgt. Margaret Taylor  

29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP DAWSON, W. Va. (June 15, 2016) – They do more than just drive trucks. When the 1229th Transportation Company is cruising in high gear, the soldiers in that unit keep the Maryland Army National Guard in business.

It’s true that they can drive anything the Army throws at them – buses, troop transports, big rigs and container trucks. They can also drive it anywhere: in a flood, in a blizzard, or up a mountain with slick trails and hairpin turns. They carry the rest of the Guard where it needs to be when called up for state active duty or combat deployments overseas. And once they get where they’re going, 1229th soldiers can provide medical aid, logistical assistance and fire support.

Getting to that sweet cruising speed requires training and teamwork and a whole lot of elbow grease.

Because of this, the unit went to Camp Dawson, West Virginia, on June 5-19 for its annual training to work out the kinks.

While at Dawson, many of the soldiers in the 1229th got their bus driver licenses, their combat lifesaver certification, hands-on time with the M16 rifle and the M249 light machine gun, a bit of training for navigating road hazards – whether natural or manmade, and time to meet and greet new teammates.

Capt. Michael Herpel, the commander of the unit since 2014, said he and the command team were particularly happy to see how everyone, especially the brand new soldiers, started to come together.

“Definitely seeing the gelling,” he said, smiling. “We’re glad to see them come out of the gate and get right into the training and start to have that cohesiveness and bonding.”

One of the new soldiers, Pvt. Jade Wilson, a motor transport operator like many of her fellow soldiers in the unit, has only been out of her initial entry schooling for a little over a month. She only had one drill prior to going to Dawson.

Wilson said she enjoyed her experience at AT, particularly learning how to drive one of the big trucks known as the load handling system.

All of the training, including the LHS familiarization, was made possible by transport veterans in the unit. One such soldier was Spc. Andrew Seehafer, who served as a safety on the M16 firing range.

Seehafer has been with the 1229th for eight of the 12 years he has been in the Guard. He was called up for both Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and Snowstorm Jonas in 2016, and so he was able to bring his real-world experience with hurricanes and blizzards to the table.

“I really like what I do,” he said.

But even long-serving veterans have room to grow.

To meet his personal goals, Seehafer said he seeks advice from his supervisor on how to be a good mentor and enlisted leader.

He said: “I go to my sergeant and say, ‘I want to know’ – I’m trying to critique myself – ‘the right responsibilities as an E5.’”

One of the mentor figures and senior-most members of the 1229th is Staff Sgt. Tommy Keel, the platoon sergeant of 1st platoon.

Keel has been in the Maryland Guard since 1995 when he moved to the Baltimore area from Queens, New York, and transferred from the Army Reserve.

“I’m an old guy in a young outfit,” he said. “You try to be the example.”

Part of setting that example during the AT meant being an instructor for the bus driver licensing class. Keel said that instructing wasn’t something he’s done much of in the past, but teaching let him see “a metamorphosis.” Newbies like Wilson, who may have had reservations initially, grew in confidence.

“I’m actually watching my younger soldiers, like the privates, walk around with their chests out, walking tall – even though they might be short – they’re walking tall,” he said. “The soldiers are maturing; they’re growing; they are becoming more confident.”

The fruits of the AT – the proficiency, the self-assurance – are something the commander said he hopes the unit can continue to develop in upcoming training missions so the 1229th can cruise at the high gear it needs to. And the 1229th is what it is because of the people.

“Everybody’s got a little bit different of a story,” Herpel said. “Everybody’s come from different places and has different things they bring to the table. And that’s the one thing I love about the transportation company.”

• Date Taken: 06.11.2016
• Date Posted: 06.18.2016 08:48
• Story ID: 201674
• Location: CAMP DAWSON AIR FORCE RESERVE CENTER, WV, US
• Hometown: BALTIMORE, MD, US
• Hometown: GREENBELT, MD, US
• Hometown: SALISBURY, MD, US