Air Force gun trucks deliver the goods

  • Published
  • By Maj. Robert Couse-Baker
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TIKRIT, Iraq (AFPN) --  As Airmen saddle up for one of the most notorious jobs in Iraq, the mood is not dread, but drive and determination.

There's confidence in every move as members of the 732nd Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here at Forward Operating Base Speicher prepare to escort truck convoys on some of the roughest roads in the country.

"I love being a gunner. It's a major adrenalin rush," said Airman Catherine Karl, deployed here from Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. "You're up there and always paying attention. It's bumpy, but I don't think I'd rather do anything else."

The 19 year old from Ventura, Calif., said she was kind of a "girlie girl" in high school, but this experience in the desert has changed her -- made her stronger and more confident in herself.

"My friends at home, they're somewhat amazed, especially at me being a gunner," she said.

Airman Karl's teammates in Iraq are less amazed, because they too have grown stronger by the experience.

"The change started in training, before we deployed," said Senior Master Sgt. Kenneth Campbell, deployed from Grand Forks Air Force Base, N.D. "They've all had some responsibility, but not to this level."

The training took place in the Basic Combat Convoy Course, an intensive month at Camp Anderson-Peters, Texas, where Airmen practice ground combat skills and Army-style small-unit tactics. Students practice convoy maneuvers and qualify with M-4 carbines and M-249 machine guns.

More important, the technical and staff sergeants who became truck commanders and convoy commanders transformed in BC3 from skilled technicians to leaders.

"It's very dangerous out there, but they're stepping up to take a larger role," Sergeant Campbell said. "These techs and staffs have truly become NCOs."

The convoy and truck commanders, in turn, must rely on their Airmen. Trust is one of the common threads that binds these men and women together: trust in their training, trust in their equipment and trust in each other.

Tech. Sgt. Wayne Gilbert, a convoy commander deployed from McConnell AFB, Kan.,
said team cohesion is critical. Combat Logistics Patrols, pronounced "clips," are usually performed by the same dozen Airmen. In fact, the mission and the people who do them go by the same acronym.

"We try to keep the CLPs together. I've been riding with the same guys so long, I wouldn't want to ride with anyone else," he said.

Each gun truck is crewed by three Airmen: the truck commander, who may also be the convoy commander, the driver and the gunner. The latter rides topside in a turret, manning a machine gun.

An armored-up truck with a .50-caliber machine gun on top is an intimidating instrument, but the most powerful weapon is the Airmen's attitude.

"Knowing it's real is pretty crazy," said Senior Airman Timothy Stone, a security forces defender deployed from Lackland AFB, Texas. "You realize you've got to take your job seriously when you're on the road; you've got to keep your head straight."

And when it's gotten real, the Airmen have responded seriously. When an improvised explosive device hit the truck one night driven by Airman 1st Class Sarah "Skeet" Rybkowski, she didn't have to think twice to aid a wounded gunner.

"The IED was very loud and very bright," she said.

If you get hit, you keep rolling, so with the help of her truck commander, Airman Rybkowski turned in the driver's seat and treated the gunner's wounded hand.

"They took charge and got the rest of the convoy to safety. The doctors said Rybkowski did all the right things for the gunner," Sergeant Campbell said.

Airman Rybkowski, deployed from Yokota Air Base, Japan, recalled everything happened quickly, "I didn't even have time to think; the training just kicks in. Afterwards I said, 'Whoa!'"

She credits her success under stress to her combat lifesaver training in BC3.

"They put a lot of pressure on us, but I'm glad they did," Airman Rybkowski said.

If the job sounds like two parts vehicle operator and one part security forces defender, it's no surprise that's roughly the background of the gun truckers. About two-thirds are vehicle operators by trade, most of the rest are security forces defenders.

Ground convoy security is not a traditional Air Force job. These Airmen are called "in lieu of" forces, supplementing the Army. While not their official Air Force name, they're most often known as Det. 1058, a name they inherited from the 1058th Transportation Company, a Massachusetts Army National Guard unit from which the Air Force took over operations almost two years ago.

The detachment inherited more than its name and mission from the Army. Like the Army truck companies in FOB Speicher, they live and work out of the same former Iraqi Army barracks, drive the same roads and endure the same tough lifestyle.

But if you ask them if their life is tough here, they'll tell you they have it great.

Airman 1st Class Robert Black, an automotive body repair technician deployed from Altus AFB, Okla., said it's a lot better than he anticipated. "I was expecting tents; I didn't expect dorms. The food's good, too. I was expecting (Meals, Ready to Eat)." 

"Being out on the road helps you see what's important in life and what's not," said Capt. Lena Haskell, A-Flight commander, deployed from Cannon AFB, N.M. "Port-a-potties? So what?"

Despite the dangers, she echoes what you'll hear time and time again in the 1058th: "It's amazing, I'd rather be out there on the road than here on base."

Expressing more than a little bit of pride, Chief Master Sgt. Conrad Marshall, deployed from Andrews AFB, Md., has enjoyed seeing his people grow.

"They transformed from timid to confident, with drive," he said. "You don't have these kind of opportunities for leadership and responsibility at home station."

Even the cadre of support personnel find themselves going above and beyond.

Tech. Sgt. Robert Tatterson, the ground radio maintainer from Travis AFB, Calif., likes the personal interaction with his customers. Instead of working in a back shop fixing broken radios, Sergeant Tatterson sees his customers face-to-face.

"The most rewarding thing is hearing 'Our comm was great' after a CLP. You don't hear that at home," he said.

Also different is the sense of meaning nearly everyone gets out of their job.

"Out here you really feel like you have a purpose," said Staff Sgt. Derick Lake, vehicle mechanic from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. "Back home we do almost the same things, but here, you see where it's going and how it will affect the mission."

The detachment commander, Capt. Chris Rosales, of Eglin AFB, Fla., will tell you he's got the best job in the world. He feels like the commander of a miniature Air Force wing in a vast sea of Army green.

"Like a wing, we've got to push out sorties 24 hours per day. And like a wing, we've got operations, logistics and support," he said. "Most captains don't get to do this. It works so well because I have such good people working for me."

Chief Marshall agrees with the captain. "They have a good attitude, a sense of humor … but when it's time to get serious, they're on it," he said.