Fair / 79° F
2101st assisting with Iraq drawdown [UPDATED]
Published 1:40pm Friday, July 30, 2010CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE (COB) SPEICHER, Iraq — As the responsible drawdown in Iraq continues, the 2101st Transportation Company of Demopolis takes on a steadily increasing role in the movement of equipment further south.
Being one of the first composite truck companies in the Army, the 2101st Transportation Company, 394th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), will be one of the few companies in Iraq to begin Operation: New Dawn.
As units under the 394th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion begin the process of moving out of Iraq, the 2101st Transportation Company will take on greater responsibility of moving cargo from COB Speicher to bases such as Joint Base Balad and COB Marez in Iraq.
The 2101st Transportation Company is made up of tractor-trailer trucks, heavy equipment transporters (HET) and palletized load systems.
Throughout the month of July, the soldiers of the 2101st Transportation Company have run missions in conjunction with the 1836th Transportation Company to further their knowledge and expertise of the Army HET.
These convoys will assist in moving Redistribution Property Accountability Team (RPAT) cargo from the northern COBs in Iraq further south and then to Afghanistan. These missions can last anywhere from 12 hours to four or five days traveling everywhere from COB Sykes to COB Taji.
These HET missions are not only a new development for the 2101st, but they have also seen the first female mission commander for the company. Sgt. Cynthia Miles, a Tuscaloosa native, led a mission of six HETs and 12 soldiers to pick up redistribution property and assistance team cargo from COB Sykes and move it down to COB Taji along with soldiers from the 1836th.
From the moment Miles found out she was the mission commander, she worked diligently with her small group of soldiers to ensure that all the vehicles were operational and all soldiers were prepared.
“I was very excited when I found out I would be mission commander, and nervous at the same time, because I knew all eyes would be upon me since I was the first female in the company to lead a mission,” Miles said.
Jernigan said he expected nothing less of Miles.
“As an NCO (non-commissioned officer), leadership is her job, regardless of gender,” he said.
Along with the HET missions, the 2101st Transportation Company has taken on some of the missions from COB Speicher to Joint Base Balad due to the transfer of authority between the 724th Transportation Company and the 220th Transportation Company.
These missions are run using M-915s as the mode of transport. These missions are run on a daily basis due to the large amounts of equipment being moved.
“The 2101st Transportation Company is an integral part of Operation New Dawn and the responsible drawn down currently occurring in Iraq,” said Capt. Kelvin Perkins, a Phenix City native and company commander of the 2101st Transportation Company.
“When all is said and done, the soldiers of the 2101st Transportation Company will be able to go home saying that, during this critical time, they were a part of the second-largest drawdown in logistical history,” said Staff Sgt. Karl Patillo, a native of Eclectic.
