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The Soldiers of the 66th Transportation Company spent Nov. 6 the same way they have on numerous days in the past months – training. During the current iteration, they have gone through a series of critical training sessions, one platoon at a time.
The 66th Trans. Co. is a subordinate company of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s 39th Transportation Battalion. The company’s mission statement calls for well-trained and equipped deployable units to support combatant commanders and the Global War on Terrorism. Their leaders, in contrast, put things more bluntly. They address the bottom line.
“Several months from now, we will deploy in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and we want to make sure we bring everyone back home alive,” said Sgt. Beau Minor, a team leader with the 66th Trans. Co.
Once downrange, the Soldiers of the 66th Trans. Co. will be charged with a line haul mission that will require them to transport equipment and other materials throughout the theater of operations. Therefore, they have been preparing for their deployment with a combination of classes and hands-on training exercises that include convoy operations, field sanitation, entering control points, casualty and medical evacuations, reacting to indirect fire and more.
“We have some brand new privates, and we need to make sure they are as well-trained and prepared as everyone else,” Sergeant Minor said.
“We have a number of new Soldiers, and we want to bring them up to speed. As we train together, this also becomes an exercise in team building. We want to become a family, a close-knit unit before we deploy,” said Spc. Andrew Phillips, a motor vehicle operator with 2nd platoon, 66th Trans. Co.
Familiarity is a two-pronged concept when it comes to training. In addition to the intimacy that comes from training together, there is the knowledge and expertise and know-how that come with practice as well.
“We train these things to become comfortable doing them. The more you train, the easier things get, the more they become second nature,” said Pvt. James Carter, a truck driver with 2nd platoon, 66th Trans. Co. “We want to be as comfortable doing our mission as possible when we are downrange.”
During a training exercise Nov. 6, the convoy operations involved 18 Soldiers traveling a five-hour route in a convoy of M-915 line-haul trucks, stopping at established points to check on drivers’ fitness or fatigue and vehicle safety.
“This training is a simulation … we do this to get a feel for what we will be doing downrange. We want everyone in this unit to be trained and ready for deployment,” said Sgt. Michael Blythe, a 2nd platoon, 66th Trans. Co. truck driver.
The Soldiers of the 66th Trans. Co. will have an even better opportunity to bond into a cohesive unit and further develop and enhance their skills when they participate in two weeks of pre-deployment training at the Hohenfels training area later this year.
