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Avenger Soldiers take on transportation mission

Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Spc. Kenneth J. Scarlett, an Avenger crewmember with Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 44th...... read more read more

TAJI, IRAQ

03.30.2006

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - When air defense artillery Soldiers from Fort Campbell, Ky., were told that they were deploying to Iraq in lieu of a medium truck company and would have a transportation mission, their first reaction was: "Are they crazy?"

Almost a year later, Soldiers of Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery all look at the mission and their time in Iraq in a slightly different view.

The battery had to go through significant changes to be able to fulfill their new mission, said Capt. Christopher Brough, battery commander. Their battalion shifted some personnel around, and doubled the number of Soldiers in the battery. They even received some individual augmentees.

The unit received a two-week crash course on the equipment before they arrived in theater. "We took over for a transportation unit," said Spc. William Horgus, an Avenger crewmember with C 2-44th ADA, who is now a truck driver. "It was a little bumpy at the beginning, but it has been a fun deployment ever since," he said. This is Horgus" second deployment to Iraq.

The unit has 180 pieces of rolling equipment, ran more than 150 missions and has driven almost 750,000 miles since they arrived at Camp Taji on May 12, Brough said.

They transported ammunition, vehicles, and 20- and 40-foot containers. They also had several missions where they moved Iraqi Army equipment. No matter what the mission was, C 2-44th ADA was ready. "They call, we haul," Brough said proudly.

"It is all about getting the mission completed," said Staff Sgt. Michael McKie-Smith, an automated logisticis specialist with C 2-44th ADA, who is one of the individual agumentees to the battery. He was only at Fort Bragg, N.C., for four months, when he found out that he was being deployed with a unit from Fort Campbell.

Initially he was a little skeptical about becoming a truck driver with Soldiers he had never met before. Now, he feels like they are one big family.

"This is one of the best units I have ever been in," said McKie-Smith. "First platoon, "Death Dealers," is the cream of the crop," "If I could stay with these guys [after redeployment], I would."

The Soldiers have all learned new skills and will redeploy with a lot of memorable experiences.

"We really explored a lot of Iraq that I didn't get to see the first time I was over here," said Horgus.

Others like Staff Sgt. Dustin Woodcock, also a C 2-44th Avenger crewmember, learned how to work and interact with non-combat Army military occupational specialties, civilians and other servicemembers.

"You have to have a lot of patience," Woodcock said. "You have to be versatile with the people you work with."

Woodcock misses all the physical activity associated with the air defense artillery battery. "I miss being able to walk, and rucking . . . I like to be out there doing some land navigation and training with my "Joes,"" he said.

Brough misses the upfront combat action he and his guys would have had in their traditional role as an ADA battery. However, he is very pleased with how well they adapted to their new mission.

"I am just overfilled with pride to be the commander of the "Hellfighters,"" he said. "It was a mission we did not ask for, that we didn't know anything about, but in less than 120 days we came together . . . I wake up every day thanking God that I am a part of this team."