Photo By Warrant Officer Joanna Bradshaw | Sgt. Adam Knowles, a heavy motor transport operator of the 1487th Motor Transportation...... read more read more
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CAMP GRAYLING JOINT MANEUVER TRAINING CENTER, Mich. —The straps are taut with the weight of the load. Burdened with precious cargo, the camel is required to journey long miles with little sustenance, and the success of that journey could mean the difference between life and death. But this is no ordinary camel. This is the Iron Camel, a moniker given to an Ohio Army National Guard transportation company out of Piqua, Ohio.
The 1487th Transportation Company conducted convoy and defense exercises June 22 during annual training at Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Grayling, Mich.
With 60 sand-colored semi-trucks and 120 trailers to go with them, the 1487th has "a very large footprint and a great capacity to support the warfighter," said Capt.Timothy Dubeansky, the commander of the 1487th and native of Lewis Center, Ohio.
"This year we are in a tactical environment," said Dubeansky. "Soldiers have been eating outside, sleeping outside, [and] practicing field sanitation operations in a tactical environment." The previous missions were "domestic operations oriented, and this has been more tactical operations oriented," he said.
While at Camp Grayling, the unit has been responsible for the movement of over 75 vehicles across great distances.
"We are incredibly proficient when it comes to the convoy side of it," said 1st Lt. Hayden Chamberlain, an executive officer with the 1487th. "A lot of these guys drive trucks for a living, so it's amazing what they can do on the road. They're whipping trailers around like it's nothing. It's really a cool thing to see."
With the 1487th trucking along, it is hard to miss miles of military might on civilian roads and highways.
"When people pass you on the road, and they give you the honk sign, and you honk the horn for the little kids, they always look up to you when they see the big trucks," said Sgt. Gabriel Grayson a Columbus, Ohio native, and a team leader and motor vehicle operator with the 1487th. "It makes me feel like I'm doing something that makes sense."
1st Sgt. John Matronia, the highest enlisted leader of the 1487th and a Dover, Ohio native, praised his unit. "I think they've performed exceptionally well," he said. "Morale is high. They work hard; they sweat. They're dirty, and they've got smiles on their faces."
Much like the hard-working mammal, the Iron Camel unit maintains readiness in support of the mission of the Ohio National Guard: Always Ready, Always There.
Iron Camels lead the way!
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2018 15:42 |
| Story ID: | 282198 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Web Views: | 427 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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