Lance Cpl. Brian L. Lewis
2nd Marine Division

BAGHDADI, Iraq – The front line forces are commonly credited for being the reason missions are accomplished during war. Behind those lines, however, is the support effort, which delivers the resources needed to keep the fight going.

Marines with Motor Transport Platoon, 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 2, have been running constantly to provide the companies with supplies and has completed nearly 150 missions since they’ve arrived with the battalion four months ago.

“Motor Transport’s mission depends on the situation at hand,” said lance Cpl. William J. Coash, a motor transport operator. “If we are with an infantry company, we carry them to the places they need to go. If we are attached to a headquarters asset, we are used to transport food, water and gear everywhere.”

The Marines with the platoon are accustomed to the busy schedule they must follow in order to help those who rely on them.

“Every morning, we have our mission brief that covers every aspect of the mission itself,” said Lance Cpl. Brett A. Blackard. “There we receive information on our movements, our mission, and other essential information.”

The essential information includes an escalation of force class, which the Marines have been taught since they first came to the unit. Although the Marines know the steps in preventing error, they review the steps every brief to refresh themselves before leaving on each mission.

“We know the escalation of force class well and we get it very often,” said Blackard. “When we review it each morning, it keeps it fresh in or memory, so that if anything is to happen on the road, we are ready.”

The briefing is over, the Marines set out on the road. The mission for that day can be many things, such as refueling vehicles or delivering supplies to Marines. The platoon keeps safety a priority, although many of the members are enjoying the different atmosphere from previous deployments.

“Last year, we were even busier than we are this deployment,: Blackard said.

“We were always doing night missions without the lights on, and there was more to threat to worry about.”

The Marines now travel from dawn to dusk, and often deep into the nigh, but the schedule normally remains during the day, which they prefer.

The platoon has not been the subject to many attacks due to excellent work by coalition and Iraqi security forces fighting insurgency in the area. They hope to keep it that way by constantly keeping their eyes out for their biggest threat on the road, improvised explosive devices.
“We have to stop often to search suspicious vehicles that we may come across as well as sweeping roadside areas for wires and explosives,” said Blackard. “It is tough, but it is worth it as long it keeps the Marines safe.”

As the trucks roll in to the base after completing their assigned mission, the members of the platoon refuel their trucks and stage them outside the gates, ready to support their fellow Marines the next day, wherever the may be.

Reprinted with permission from Camp Lejeune “The Globe”