Taking Amtrak to Taji

Our crew made it back from Taji. Taji is a huge operating base that lies just north of Baghdad. I’ll write more about it in another entry.

This was one of my last trips north because my unit is getting short. A couple of us have been wanting to get back on the road for a few weeks so we pulled a Nike and just did it. The team went with was Bandito 16, they are a convoy security company based out of Magnolia Arkansas. Bandito 16 is a pretty good collection of very capable soldiers. Their six original vehicles had the internal call signs of “RICKY BOBBY”, “CARNY”, “5-O” (the TC is a real-world police officer), “MINNIE”, “SEX PANTHER”, and “REHAB”. Obviously there is a draw to Will Farrell movies for these guys. They gave my truck the call sign of “AMTRAK”. That’s because two of my crew are Captains and since our ranks look like railroad tracks….well, there you go.

The crew of the Amtrak:

DRIVER: Staff Sergeant Shannon Eichenseer. Shannon is from Cattaraugus, New York (South of Buffalo). She normally works in our Brigade Headquarters Intelligence Section but I’ve been trying to take her out on the road for months so she can better understand the mission she supports. She finally broke free long enough to be the driver of a 40,000 pound MRAP. She and I got licensed on the vehicle just so we could go on this trip.

TC—TACTICAL VEHICLE COMMANDER: Captain Marcus Pierce from North Little Rock, AR. Marc is normally my Squadron’s Signal officer…the guy who manages all things communications-wise to include computers and radios. Marc is an avid runner (his running blog is http://runaddict.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/gi-blues-and-a-runner-reborn/ ) Marc served in the right seat as the TC and he handled all the radio business.

GUNNER: I got to do something I’ve always wanted to do….gun. I.e. the guy that pokes his head out of the top. So, Captain Lynch got to do what a Specialist or Private normally does....man an M240B machine gun for the 9 hour mission. I was the guy who operated the turret and kept the vehicle in a fighting posture for the duration of the trip. I also had the best view.

PCC/PCI (pre-combat checks and inspections): We did the normal pre-combat checks the night before the convoy rolled out. Nothing spectacular: we got the radios ready, the truck stocked with water and fuel, and made sure the vehicles and weapons were ready for a long road trip. Then we stocked up on sleep. Driving all night means having a good night’s rest.

The day of the trip we attended the Operations and Intelligence brief. This is where the crews get their latest information about road conditions, weather, and enemy activity on our routes. I’m usually on the giving end of the brief. Today I was the audience along with three other convoys going out that night . After the Intel dump we went to the staging lanes where we conduct our final PCCs/PCIs before we hit the road.
I’d like to tell you some exciting story about the journey north but it was pretty uneventful. After we linked-up with the vehicles we were escorting we pointed north and drove….and drove….and drove. We left in the afternoon and arrived at Taji in the middle of the night. Overall it was a 9 hour drive in the dark with nothing significant to report. We like it that way but it does get boring.
We spent the next day at Taji and slept, visited a couple of friends stationed there and then put the convoy back together again for the return trip south. Once again, we pointed towards COB Adder which was south and drove….and drove….and drove.

One thing you learn is how to stay awake. These convoys are about 4 miles long. We drive at speeds that vary between slow and much slower. Slow so we can find IEDs (you can’t outrun them). Staying awake is a team effort. In most cases it just involves conversation among the crew of a vehicle. We talked about everything from the election to our boss to what we would do when we get home….you name it…we talked about it.

At the end of the trip the sun was barely up and we were smoked but there was one last thing to do….eat. I don’t normally eat breakfast in the chow hall but at the end of a night of driving and staying awake a trooper gets hungry. We drove the vehicle to the chow hall and marched our stubbly faces to the dining facility and proceeded to eat an Army breakfast. Afterward we secured our weapons and vehicle for the day and proceeded to sleep. And sleep I did. Rock-type sleep…the reward for 3 long days of delivering gas and groceries.

Well, that’s a convoy. 600 miles, 3 days, no incidents. I’ve done it 6 times so far. Our regular escort teams do it once every 5 days. Escorting convoys is our primary mission and it’s what we have done every day since my Squadron has been in-country. This might have been my last mission through Baghdad ever. We’ll see about that. If I never see it again I will be okay but if I do….well, at least I know the way.

SABER 02,

Out.