Story and photos by Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren
09.26.2010 IRAQ - The “Wild Deuce” Soldiers with 2nd platoon, 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), became part of history this August in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the transition to Operation New Dawn at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.
Heavy Equipment Transporters from the 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), line up alongside Stryker vehicles from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division in August at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, during the road march to Kuwait. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren)
Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren, a squad leader with the 15th Trans. Co., and a Chicago native, and Staff Sgt. Lacerisha Johnson, a squad leader with the 15th Trans. Co., and a New Orleans native, represented the Wild Deuce platoon and their respective squads supporting the drawdown of the last combat troops, by assisting the 4th Stryker Brigade’s movement out of Iraq in August.
The Wild Deuce Soldiers drove their heavy equipment transporters from COB Adder to Victory Base Complex, Joint Base Balad, and back to Camp Virginia, Kuwait. Their mission to support the Stryker’s as recovery trucks was successful. The soldiers worked overtime preparing for this significant mission.
As they left COB Adder, they knew it would be weeks before they would see the familiar faces and the comfort of their rooms but they were prepared for it. For the first-time deployers, it provided good driving experience. It also gave them the opportunity to see another side of Iraq on the way to the numerous camps they visited. “It was my first mission and it was a good experience,” said Spc. Jaclyn Bartlett, a heavy-wheeled vehicle operator with the 15th Trans. Co., and a Portsmouth, Va., native.
All the Wild Deuce soldiers trained the Stryker soldiers how to properly load and secure their Stryker vehicle on the HET trailers by practicing chaining down the Stryker’s for transport. The training was vital during the mission.
Soldiers with 2nd Platoon, 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), recover a Stryker vehicle from 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team in August at Joint Base Balad, Iraq.(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Antonia Silva-Warren)
While driving down the roads of Iraq, a few of the Stryker vehicles had mechanical issues. One by one, the 15th Trans. Co. soldiers were called upon to upload and recover the Stryker’s vehicles so the mission could continue.
“This is the first time this company has conducted this type of mission,” said Capt. Stacey Jelks, the commander of the 15th Trans. Co., and a Bloomingdale, Ill., native. “We are honored to have assisted the last combat unit out of theater, and we look forward to assisting other units making their exit out of theater as well.”
Stumble It!
