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Convoy mission gives deployed Airman taste of combat trucker life

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Cynthia Spalding
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  After attempting to plan this for five months, I finally receive the call I've been waiting for: that a local ammunitions movement mission had been allocated, and I'll be on it by tomorrow morning! It's now time to pack my gear; I've got a lot of work to do.

That afternoon, I arrived at the 387th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's compound and was introduced to Senior Airman Kelly McLain. A three-time veteran vehicle operator supporting the Air Force's only combat line-haul mission. Now me, an Air Force Public Affairs Airman, was going to have the privilege of being a part of and living the life of a combat trucker.

But before I could even consider myself a small part of their team, there was life-saving training that must be done. My first stop was vehicle egress training: A combat technique used during an unforeseen vehicle rollover whereby an Airman must maneuver themselves in very tight conditions while squeezing through an M915 tractor's rear window opening while wearing full body armor, including a helmet and weapon.

My first thought to myself, "Am I ready, mentally and physically?" But after a second of contemplating, I said with a big Air Force HOOAH, "Yes I am". This is the reason I was sent to Combat Airman Skills Training. This is why I do my job and this is the story I wanted to tell: the Combat Airman's story.

I felt compelled to personally get to know these brave Airmen as much as I could. While only for a few days, I was really going to be a part of their one-of-a-kind team, and on a real mission.

At dinner I was able to get a feel of how Airmen prepared themselves just before a mission. The first question I was itching to ask was, "Honestly, how do you feel about me coming along on this mission?"

Their answer, "it's not always the most comfortable feeling having someone new on the team." Before combat trucker Airmen even set foot in the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Area of Responsibility, they endure up to six weeks of a Basic Combat Convoy Course at Camp Anderson-Peterson in San Antonio, Texas, where they focus on small unit leadership, combat skills training and team building. From 0530 hours to 2100 hours seven days a week they are training together, eating together, and bonding with each other in conditions most would consider harsh.

"We've all had time to learn and understand how each other reacts to situations because we trained together, so an additional member on our team who hasn't trained with us, trained to act and react as a team can sometimes cause some setbacks," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Leuluai, the mission's convoy commander. "But what I have been able to experience, is that as long as you're focused and prepared to work as a team, anything can be accomplished."

Our team's wake up was a very early 0430 hours. We arrived at the compound and like someone had flicked a switch. They all immediately rolled into their usual routine, which by my new eyes seemed very deliberate and very fast paced. They were moving like pros. Get the key, vehicle checklist packet, tarp, jerry cans, retrieve weapon, get the cooler filled with ice and drinks and finally perform preventative maintenance checks and services (PMCS). We were ready for our precious cargo.

We were on a time limit so everything had to be done safely, with precision, and in order. Once the explosive cargo is carefully loaded and secured onto individual trailers, the truck's crew does not jump into their cab and relax. No, they pitch in and all wingmen and team members who need help are helped; it's definitely a one team, one fight mentality in this unit.

Time to roll out... halt... tarp came loose.

"Sometimes it happens, but it's not just some quick sloppy fix," said Sergeant Leuluai. "Even if this isn't a hostile environment, you have to practice your muscle memory. You don't want to have to stop on the side of the road in Baghdad like we had to [in Southwest Asia] to fix a load, or a tarp that has come loose. That's just making us spend more time in the kill zone. You want to spend as minimum amount of time on the road as possible to get from base to base as quick and safely as possible."

A bumpy ride in an M915 tractor trailer doesn't come close to describing what the road conditions are like. Roads here aren't the same smooth paved roads we have in the United States. After what seemed like a million speed bumps and dodging many reckless drivers, we finally made it to our drop off point; we were now ready for our download. But to my surprise this would not happen for a while - two hours to be precise.

"The hardest part of our job are the moments we wait for things to get moving," said Airman McLain, "We've had a mission where we waited 13 hours just to get on the base. After waking up and being on the road for hours, you get pretty tired. But you have to stay focused because that's when the unexpected happens."

I didn't realize it, but it was already 4 p.m.! I was hungry and we missed lunch. Being busy and concentrating exclusively on the mission at hand, it's common to miss meals. But fortunately for my stomach at least, we eventually received a meal shortly before returning. What was usually an hour and fifteen minute trip turned into a convoy journey that lasted nearly four hours.

When I noticed that I was beginning to zone out, everyone else seemed to be on the same page. Everyone started checking up on each other and getting a conversation going between the trucks over the radio.

"You spend an ungodly amount of hours in the truck with another individual," said Sergeant Leuluai. "You quickly get to know their ins and outs and pretty much everything you want to know about them and what you might not necessarily know about them."

Although we weren't even halfway back it was already night. Everyone is able to keep the fire going knowing that everyone in the team was in the same place, together on the road.

"We're just like a family; you have your ups and downs," said Airman McLain. "There are moments where sometimes you feel like you want to slap someone and other times when you're glad to be with these people and glad that you got to train with these people because they're there to save my life and I am there to save theirs if something happens. Even if you aren't in the same truck, you still have complete trust with everyone."

And you also have their complete respect, especially after spending 17 hours together on the road in a single workday.

"The most important thing is that I gained a greater appreciation for how hard the teams work," said Lt. Col Christopher Boone, 387th ELRS commander, who joined his Airmen on this local mission. "I was able to experience the same delays that they regularly endure and I was able to see firsthand what they go through."

I had the honor to experience what these Airmen do, day in and day out. And know without question I would trust them with my life. These Joint Expeditionary Tasked (JET) Airmen bear the enormous responsibility in preparing for and partnering with Soldiers in executing the Joint Logistics Task Force 6 (JLTF6) mission, a key part of Operation New Dawn.

And so for me personally, I know the next time I visit a vehicle operations activity I will know I'm in the presence of Air Force vehicle operators who risk their lives daily to deliver units supplies through hostile lands with the ultimate goal of completing the mission and bringing all their wingmen safely back home.