Courtesy Photo | In the 96th Transportation Company, 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th...... read more read more
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CAMP TAJI, Iraq — With every military conflict comes a great demand for the logistical transporter whether it is to transport heavy equipment around the battlefield, or to move resupply packages in support of the troops and military operations.
This requirement is the primary focus of the Soldiers of the 96th Transportation Company, assigned to the 180th Transportation Battalion, 13th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, Fort Hood, Texas.
The 96th Trans. Co. is one of the few Heavy Transportation Companies in the Army's inventory. The unit's equipment density is comprised of the heavy equipment transportation truck, commonly referred to as the HET. The HET System nears 12 feet tall with a length of 75 feet long when coupled with its trailer. The HET is capable and intended for the transportation of the heaviest loads the military has in its fleet.
The HET has long been a great asset to the military in its forward deployed environments. With very few HET companies in the active Army, as a transportation Soldier, being assigned to a HET company is a prestigious job.
The HET is the largest ground vehicle the transportation corps has. Each company's intended mission is to provide heavy lift and transportation support to a heavy division-size element. The company is broken down into four truck platoons, each platoon capable of supporting a heavy brigade-sized element. With its gross combination weight rating of 231,400 pounds, this vehicle is truly the king of the road in the transportation arena.
The 96th Transportation Company is 10 months and 387,000 miles into the unit's sixth deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As the unit typically deploys as a company, the unit is currently assigned to the 419th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade, located in central Iraq. The 96th Transportation Company provides all heavy lift and transportation support required in and around central Iraq, with convoys traveling as far north as Tikrit, and as far south as Basra, and everywhere in between.
As the unit arrived in theater in October 2008, their initial focus was the movement of units and their equipment in and out of central Iraq. Following the announcement of the drawdown of Iraq, the 96th Transportation Company was called upon to shift gears and redirect their focus to the transportation of equipment to the south to assist the efforts in the draw down. With two months and thousands of miles remaining for the 96th Transportation Company, the mission to draw down forces and equipment in Iraq continues; there will be a lasting foot print left in the minds of the Soldiers of the 96th Transportation Company. With all cargo delivered and each convoy completed, it is one step closer to completion of the mission and the end of a deployment, in the eyes of a Soldier in the transportation corps.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2009 06:28 |
| Story ID: | 38153 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 204 |
| Downloads: | 71 |
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