FORT BRAGG, N.C. - The long hours that a driver puts in on the road helps them build bonds with their comrades and with all the individuals they meet at their delivery points.
“You have to be a people person to do this job,” said Staff Sgt. Ramon Delgado, acting convoy commander for the 773rd Transportation Company, from Fort Totten, New York.
Soldiers with the 773rd TC are delivering fuel to multiple military installations throughout North Carolina during the 2014 Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise (QLLEX), operationally controlled by the 633rd Quartermaster Battalion here.
The Soldiers are expected to deliver fuel during QLLEX from Selma to Mackall Auxiliary Airfield Airport, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Marine Corps Air Station New River, and to reservists here.
Delgado, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., said he believes being a part of QLLEX gives soldiers that are delivering fuel the realization that their jobs require working with others.
“I hope Soldiers realize when they work with each other, Soldiers from different units and other branches of service that it is one team, one fight,” said Delgado.
“This training exercise also allows other Soldiers to see the importance of our jobs,” said Sgt. Oscar Alvarez, a motor transport operator, for the 773rd TC.
Alvarez a native of Queens, N.Y., said he sees QLLEX as a moment for everyone involved to see that there are multiple pieces of the puzzle, and they are all important for mission success.
This training offers soldiers an opportunity to participate in a rewarding experience that is very similar to what they will encounter overseas, said Delgado.
“QLLEX is essential because it allows you to participate in missions that give us hands on training,” said Staff Sgt. Jarell Wells, a motor transport operator for the 319th Transportation Company, from Augusta, Georgia.
Delgado said he hopes newer soldiers begin to realize their love for the job like he has.
“They have to accept the good and the tough of the job,” said Delgado. “In the end they will realize this job is very rewarding.”