CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Soldiers from the 15th Transportation Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command supported a 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment gunnery mission to Forward Operating Base Hammer earlier this month.
When tasked with the mission, soldiers from 15th Transportation Company looked forward to a change of pace from their normal daily operations.
“Gunnery was a refreshing change of venue for our daily lives and gave our soldiers the opportunity to perform our bread and butter, which is to move tracked vehicles,” said Staff Sgt. John Sellen, of 15th Transportation Company and a native of Dayton, Ohio, who served as mission commander.
The mission ran smoothly and everyone was pleased with the results. “15th TC’s recent gun support mission in Iraq was an awesome challenge for us. [The mission] gave us the opportunity to show support to 3rd Armored Cavalry unit to take their tanks out for their gunnery exercise,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Reep, executive officer for 15th Transportation Company and a native of Oxford, Miss. “It gave our operators the chance to carry loads we don’t usually carry and across roads they’re not used to. I’m very proud of our soldiers.”
The gunnery support mission required cooperation from numerous organizations.
“[The mission] was a great opportunity to get more experience hauling armor and work with other units on a larger scale,” said Sgt. Dustin Jeske, a native of Chesterfield, Va., and assistant mission commander for the operation.
From top to bottom, morale within the unit was very high even with the demanding workload of the mission. “It was great, outstanding. We really showcased our driving abilities,” said Spc. Jose Lopez, a native of San Antonio, Texas.
The more difficult the mission, the harder the 15th Transportation Company works. As the soldiers in the company set their sights on the redeployment and homecoming in the near future, they’re sure not to overlook any mission, no matter how small.
