Mechanics have vast knowledge of IEDs

Photo By Sgt. Cassandra Groce | Spc. Robert Birkla, a gunner for the 2113th transportation company from Paducah, Ky., fixes a door on a humvee before the convoy leaves. The door had not been shutting properly and was a safety concern.  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

12.12.2005

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

PFC Cassandra Groce 133rd MPAD
20 November 2005

TIKRIT, IRAQ-- Driving for hours on end, sometimes over a period of days, from point A to point B, from one side of Iraq to the other, does not sound all that exciting.

"Sometimes there were semi-trucks!" may seem the most exciting thing a transportation company Soldier would have to say about his time in Iraq driving around. However, things are not always as they appear.

Soldiers from the 2113th transportation company out of Paducah, Ky., have seen more than semis during their 10 months in Iraq.

The company goes on about 70 " 90 convoys a month, and one out of three of these convoys sees some sort of action, said Sgt. First Class Marty Hodge, the truck master for the 2113th.

Talking to the Soldiers quickly reveals a vast knowledge of IED's and insurgent attacks.

"If an IED hits it's going to be really, really loud, but don't worry," said Spc. Robert Birkla, a gunner on convoys. "The ringing will go away in a couple of days."

That is true even if you are wearing earplugs and headphones. Birkla's apparent nonchalance about IED's is a testament to the unit's experience and respect for them.

"I got hit by an IED while out and it scared me," said Hodge. "They (the unit) took care of it and continued the mission while I was still shaking in my boots."

Tires are a favorite target point for terrorists.

"Insurgents love to watch the front tires burn," said Birkla. "They go down to nothing."

In addition to explosions, gunfire and rocks thrown at convoys, the Soldiers sometimes get an opportunity to help the Iraqi people.

Thursday while on the way to Camp Caldwell a car came flying around a corner towards the oncoming convoy. The car lost control and spun across the road, rolled several times and finally came to rest hundreds of feet from the road.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy Chapman, truck commander and NCOIC of the convoy, and Birkla rushed out into the desert looking for the people that fell out of the vehicle.

Sgt. Gary Martin, a medic in the 627th Field Artillery unit from Ft. Sill, Okla., was on site to administer first aid to the Iraqis.

The convoy then waited for two hours with the Iraqi civilians until help arrived. The Iraqi National Guard took the civilians to a medical treatment facility.

"They would have died if we hadn't stopped," said Chapman. "No one would have seen them until morning."

It was all in a days work for the 2113th Soldiers who had put in approximately 18 hours straight of work by the time they reached Camp Caldwell.

As if IED's, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, rocks and injured personnel was not enough to contend with, there is also the general upkeep of the vehicles.

Convoys will stop multiple times en route to refuel tanks or oil. Occasionally, they stop to fix issues with their transportation units. Issues can be as small as something tangled in one of the wheels, a flat tire, to useless bolts, dead batteries or headlights malfunctioning.

The unit is scheduled to leave in January, but who they have become while here will always remain.

"I have a very deep respect for these people," said Hodge. "They have gone places with little guidance and are successful."

• Date Taken: 12.12.2005
• Date Posted: 12.12.2005 11:09
• Story ID: 4024
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ