Photo By Staff Sgt. Samantha Simmons | Spc. Jarrod Godfrey, a Las Vegas native and field artillery mechanic with Company G,...... read more read more
Subscribe
BAGHDAD — After a lot of training, motor transport operators from Distribution platoon, Company G, 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, are getting down to their primary duty: driving trucks.
The battalion tasked Distribution platoon to retrieve supplies March 22 from a sister unit currently deployed at Contingency Operating Location Prosperity, located in downtown Baghdad, after three weeks of no mobility outside the wire. Soldiers in the platoon typically attempt to knock out several tasks in one visit. This visit included dropping off maintenance supplies, a vehicle, personnel and other equipment for detachments of 1st Bn. They also picked up light kits for their vehicles and made coordination for the commander to get "eyes on" essential supplies for an upcoming inventory.
"I try to combine as many tasks as possible to make the trip more worthwhile," said 1st Lt. Rachel Adair, the platoon leader for Distribution Platoon and native of Bonner Springs, Kan.
She said the mission wasn't as compact as usual because the commander had to close out some supply inventories of items such as vehicles and larger equipment in preparation for the items to move back to VBC.
"Usually when we get a mission, I talk to each battery to see if they need anything transported...whether it be vehicles, personnel, or supplies," said Adair. "Something always comes up."
The last mission the unit went on was Feb. 27, so the platoon was itching to get out, said Adair.
Part of the cut-back in missions can be attributed to Iraqis and foreign contractors taking the lead, which is placing transportation Soldiers in a new role: an advisory and assist capacity to promote economic stability for the Iraqi populace, said Sgt. Jason Calloway, a motor transportation operator and native of St. Louis.
He also admits the current, well-established locations of most battalion Soldiers permit the units to be self-sufficient, but while the platoon awaits missions, they train hard.
"We do a lot of training and maintenance on the vehicles," said Calloway. There's always something to be done, and the platoon does a lot of preparation for missions, he added.
"We got everyone qualified on the trucks and made sure that [the Soldiers] respected their trucks," said Calloway.
This included ensuring each Soldier was comfortable behind the wheel and could operate the hi-tech equipment inside the unit's Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, M1151 trucks and palletized load systems. They also performed "rollover" drills, reacted to simulated pop shots, sniper shots or improvised explosive devices, and practiced the most safe methods of driving.
Calloway said vehicle maintenance is the most time-consuming task between missions. The Soldiers are constantly ensuring their vehicles are mission capable because they rely on them.
"I'm also the master driver for the battalion, so I have to make sure that everything's squared away," said Calloway. He ensures everyone has their training done on the vehicles in order to not just run missions, but run them right.
Adair said that this mission was just the "calm before the storm." The unit is preparing a move to Contingency Operating Station Loyalty, located east of Baghdad, in which they will be given the opportunity to shine by doing what they came here to do: drive trucks.
Both Calloway and Adair said their troops are looking forward to the move.
"[The platoon is] full of Soldiers who want to know that they came into the Army to do something," said Calloway; "to do their job!"
| Date Taken: | 03.22.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 03.28.2010 05:52 |
| Story ID: | 47332 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 240 |
| Downloads: | 222 |
This work, Transportation operators hit the road: Missions set to kick off for Company G, by SSG Samantha Simmons, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
