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Escort team conducts its largest escort mission
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — The skies were unusually dusty at 11 a.m., even by Iraq standards, as the soldiers of Convoy Escort Team 4, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command ran through their pre-mission preparations Oct. 1 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
Perhaps it was the unscheduled dust storm that had moved in overnight, or perhaps it was an omen for these soldiers preparing to venture out on a 5-day mission taking them to the far reaches of northern Iraq.
On day one of their final 5-day trek escorting supply trucks across northern Iraq, CET 4’s soldiers prepared themselves for their first trip to Contingency Operating Site Warrior, a military outpost just outside the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The trip was the largest mission the 149th Inf. Regt. has conducted to date, escorting 72 supply trucks to the base.
“I’m just excited to be going somewhere different,” said Pfc. Justin Pieschell, a driver for A Company and a native of Florence, Ky.
The dusty weather was a double-edged sword for CET 4. While it cooled the air off, making life a little bit more comfortable, it also restricted visibility, increasing the likelihood of attack from potentially deadly improvised explosive devices. The soldiers of CET 4 also experienced intermittent rain showers during their first day’s journey.
“Only in Iraq do you get rain and sand storms at the same time,” said Sgt. James Taulbee, a truck commander and native of Harlan, Ky.
The soldiers of CET 4 reached their destination by about 5 o’clock the following morning, their headlights reflecting in the rain-drenched roads around COS Warrior. By the time the soldiers finally laid down for bed that morning, many had been up for nearly 24 hours straight.
After the stressful events of the mission’s first night out, battalion headquarters granted CET 4 a short reprieve by pushing their starting time back 10 hours. The soldiers took advantage of the rest opportunity, with many sleeping until early evening.
By 1 a.m., however, the time for relaxation was over. Soldiers met up to begin preparing for their next mission escorting trucks further north through the Kurdish city of Irbil to a base on its northern outskirts.
Good-spirited banter replaced the tense radio conversation from the previous day’s mission among CET 4. Business still came first, however, with the occasional call coming over the radio about traffic issues ahead or suspicious activity.
Once CET 4 reached Irbil, extremely dense traffic brought the convoy to a near halt. Since the people of Irbil were friendly to U.S. forces, the convoy was extremely careful to be considerate of local traffic.
“The people in Irbil are really supportive of armed forces…we’d like to keep it that way,” Taulbee said.
Compared to elsewhere, Irbil seemed to be a modern, thriving city, and CET members took advantage of the opportunity to add photos to their collection. CET 4 took in the sights of Irbil as local Iraqi policemen stepped in to help them navigate through traffic easier.
After a few hours of preparation on the base, the CET departed COS Erbil with their convoy in tow. On the horizon, the sun rose over Irbil with the mountains as a backdrop.
Around 8 a.m., as the convoy quietly continued through the countryside en route to Kirkuk, activity picked up at the back of the convoy. A speeding vehicle had barreled across the median, flipping in the process and hitting one of the convoy’s trucks. This brought the convoy to a standstill.
Soon enough, the Iraqi Police arrived on the scene, and when one U.S. truck commander got out to offer help, the policemen said they would take care of the issue.
“This mission has been the most stuff happening than anything we’ve had before,” said Pfc. Justin Pieschell, a driver for CET 4.
With all of the necessary paperwork complete to document the vehicle accident, the convoy continued their mission. Unfortunately, day four just wasn’t turning out to be their day.
While stopped in traffic with COS Warrior’s gate in sight of them, two civilians approached one of the trucks on foot to inform the gunner, in their limited English, that one of the convoy trucks up ahead was involved in an accident with a civilian vehicle. Nearly an hour and a half later, CET 4 had successfully investigated the second accident of the day without major incident. Finally, the convoy could return to COS Warrior just in time for the end of lunch, their first actual meal since the day before.
The rest of day four, once back on base, was spent resting for the long trip back to JBB. As midnight rolled around on that final day, the soldiers of CET 4 returned to prepare their trucks.
The 57-vehicle convoy made it back to JBB with only minimal issues, and the convoy pulled into the gate around 4 p.m., officially ending 13 long hours on the road in full body armor.
On a mission with its share of setbacks, CET 4 had made it safely back to home base with no attacks. When they finished their post-mission duties, the soldiers would be able to enjoy a hard-earned hot showers, warm meals and familiar beds.
“It’s good to be home,” Taulbee said.
JBB may not quite be “home” for most of these soldiers, but for at least a little while longer it will have to do.
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JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — The skies were unusually dusty at 11 a.m., even by Iraq standards, as the soldiers of Convoy Escort Team 4, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 149th Infantry Regiment, 77th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command ran through their pre-mission preparations Oct. 1 at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.
Perhaps it was the unscheduled dust storm that had moved in overnight, or perhaps it was an omen for these soldiers preparing to venture out on a 5-day mission taking them to the far reaches of northern Iraq.
On day one of their final 5-day trek escorting supply trucks across northern Iraq, CET 4’s soldiers prepared themselves for their first trip to Contingency Operating Site Warrior, a military outpost just outside the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The trip was the largest mission the 149th Inf. Regt. has conducted to date, escorting 72 supply trucks to the base.
“I’m just excited to be going somewhere different,” said Pfc. Justin Pieschell, a driver for A Company and a native of Florence, Ky.
The dusty weather was a double-edged sword for CET 4. While it cooled the air off, making life a little bit more comfortable, it also restricted visibility, increasing the likelihood of attack from potentially deadly improvised explosive devices. The soldiers of CET 4 also experienced intermittent rain showers during their first day’s journey.
“Only in Iraq do you get rain and sand storms at the same time,” said Sgt. James Taulbee, a truck commander and native of Harlan, Ky.
The soldiers of CET 4 reached their destination by about 5 o’clock the following morning, their headlights reflecting in the rain-drenched roads around COS Warrior. By the time the soldiers finally laid down for bed that morning, many had been up for nearly 24 hours straight.
After the stressful events of the mission’s first night out, battalion headquarters granted CET 4 a short reprieve by pushing their starting time back 10 hours. The soldiers took advantage of the rest opportunity, with many sleeping until early evening.
By 1 a.m., however, the time for relaxation was over. Soldiers met up to begin preparing for their next mission escorting trucks further north through the Kurdish city of Irbil to a base on its northern outskirts.
Good-spirited banter replaced the tense radio conversation from the previous day’s mission among CET 4. Business still came first, however, with the occasional call coming over the radio about traffic issues ahead or suspicious activity.
Once CET 4 reached Irbil, extremely dense traffic brought the convoy to a near halt. Since the people of Irbil were friendly to U.S. forces, the convoy was extremely careful to be considerate of local traffic.
“The people in Irbil are really supportive of armed forces…we’d like to keep it that way,” Taulbee said.
Compared to elsewhere, Irbil seemed to be a modern, thriving city, and CET members took advantage of the opportunity to add photos to their collection. CET 4 took in the sights of Irbil as local Iraqi policemen stepped in to help them navigate through traffic easier.
After a few hours of preparation on the base, the CET departed COS Erbil with their convoy in tow. On the horizon, the sun rose over Irbil with the mountains as a backdrop.
Around 8 a.m., as the convoy quietly continued through the countryside en route to Kirkuk, activity picked up at the back of the convoy. A speeding vehicle had barreled across the median, flipping in the process and hitting one of the convoy’s trucks. This brought the convoy to a standstill.
Soon enough, the Iraqi Police arrived on the scene, and when one U.S. truck commander got out to offer help, the policemen said they would take care of the issue.
“This mission has been the most stuff happening than anything we’ve had before,” said Pfc. Justin Pieschell, a driver for CET 4.
With all of the necessary paperwork complete to document the vehicle accident, the convoy continued their mission. Unfortunately, day four just wasn’t turning out to be their day.
While stopped in traffic with COS Warrior’s gate in sight of them, two civilians approached one of the trucks on foot to inform the gunner, in their limited English, that one of the convoy trucks up ahead was involved in an accident with a civilian vehicle. Nearly an hour and a half later, CET 4 had successfully investigated the second accident of the day without major incident. Finally, the convoy could return to COS Warrior just in time for the end of lunch, their first actual meal since the day before.
The rest of day four, once back on base, was spent resting for the long trip back to JBB. As midnight rolled around on that final day, the soldiers of CET 4 returned to prepare their trucks.
The 57-vehicle convoy made it back to JBB with only minimal issues, and the convoy pulled into the gate around 4 p.m., officially ending 13 long hours on the road in full body armor.
On a mission with its share of setbacks, CET 4 had made it safely back to home base with no attacks. When they finished their post-mission duties, the soldiers would be able to enjoy a hard-earned hot showers, warm meals and familiar beds.
“It’s good to be home,” Taulbee said.
JBB may not quite be “home” for most of these soldiers, but for at least a little while longer it will have to do.
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