Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, engage their culminating exercise at Rising Thunder 19 at Yakima Trainin...

Sgt. First Class Brian Jackson from the 1844th Transportation Company uses a "halt" hand signal as his recovery vehicle's towbar lines up with the humvee during a training lane in Rising Thunder 2019. Rising Thunder is an annual exercise joining the ...

Medics supporting the 1844th Transporation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team respond to a simulated casualty during Rising Thunder 2019. Rising Thunder is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the J...

Sgt. Brett Montgomery from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, pulls security while the maintenance crew hooks up a downed humvee to their recovery vehicle. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, engage their culminating exercise at Rising Thunder 19 at Yakima Trainin...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, perform a morning base defense on the last morning of their field traini...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, are faced with a chemical attack and small arms fire during their mornin...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, face a chemical attack and small arms fire engagement during their morni...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, are faced with a chemical attack and small arms fire during their mornin...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, are faced with a chemical attack and small arms fire during their mornin...

A simulated chemical attack greets Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, during their morning base defense. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining...

1st Lt. Jamie Gunning from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, conducts an after action review following the chemical attack during morning base defense. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and th...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, engage their culminating exercise at Rising Thunder 19 at Yakima Trainin...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, engage their culminating exercise at Rising Thunder 19 at Yakima Trainin...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, engage their culminating exercise at Rising Thunder 19 at Yakima Trainin...

Cpl. Jonathon Sexton from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade works on attaching the recovery vehicle's towbar to the downed truck. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-...

Maintenance Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade pull security and work on attaching the recovery vehicle's towbar to a downed truck. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japane...

Maintenance Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade work on attaching the recovery vehicle's towbar to a downed truck. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Def...

Maintenance Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade work on attaching the recovery vehicle's towbar to a downed truck. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Def...

Maintenance Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade work on attaching the recovery vehicle's towbar to a downed truck. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Def...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, load simulated casualties into a medical evacuation helicopter as part o...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, load simulated casualties into a medical evacuation helicopter as part o...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, load simulated casualties into a medical evacuation helicopter as part o...

Soldiers from the 1844th Transportation Company, 108th Sustainment Brigade, and medics from the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, both part of the Illinois Army National Guard, load simulated casualties into a medical evacuation helicopter as part o...

Aircraft with the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade provide support to the Illinois Army National Guard during Rising Thunder 19 in Yakima, Wash., Sept. 7, 2019. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-...

Aircraft with the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade provide support to the Illinois Army National Guard during Rising Thunder 19 in Yakima, Wash., Sept. 7, 2019. Rising Thunder 2019 is an annual exercise joining the U.S. Army and the Japanese Ground Self-...

YAKIMA, Wash. - A common saying in the Army is that everyone is a Soldier, no matter their primary duty position. The truck drivers and maintenance personnel of the 1844th Transportation Company take that to heart. While their primary duty is to ensure the prompt transport of troops and supplies, these Illinois Guardsmen have shown that they aren't afraid to get their hands dirty to protect their convoys and fellow Soldiers.

During the past week and a half, Soldiers from the 1844th, part of the 232nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 108th Sustainment Brigade, conducted improvised explosive device, medical evacuation, vehicle recovery, and hostile environment lane training in preparation for the culminating event of their annual training experience at Rising Thunder 2019 here at the Yakima Training Center.

The truck drivers came to Yakima Training Center with the primary mission of transporting the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team. However, the resources and equipment the training center provided enabled the East Saint Louis-based transportation company to engage in several training scenarios they weren't able to replicate back home.

From Sept. 6-7, the Soldiers went on a two-day field training exercise where they conducted base defense and sent their platoons out on transportation missions for their final objectives.

"The culminating event was a combination of all of the training they received over the last week and a half, spun up into a fast-paced, two-day [field training exercise]," said Sgt. 1st Class Gary Cunningham, a platoon sergeant with the 1844th.

Upon leaving the field, Soldiers faced a lane that, unbeknownst to them, would push them to utilize all of the skills they had been sharpening since arriving at the central Washington training installation. The company employed basic and squad-level warrior tasks such as react to fire, care of casualties, use of radio communication, knowledge of how to send a situation or casualty report, and spotting IEDs.

"Our Soldiers are primarily vehicle operators with a small vehicle maintenance section." said 1st Lt. Jamie Gunning, a platoon leader with the 1844th. "It isn't often that we get the opportunity to work with other [military specialties], but in this training environment we've been able to. We worked side-by-side with medics from HHC 2-130, and Infantry from the 178th, and they've all taught us so much. This training has not only helped us learn how to operate in different tactical units, but we've also learned how to support them better."

The 2nd Battalion, 130th Infantry Regiment and the 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, are also Illinois Guard outfits on site at Rising Thunder 19 conducting their own annual training exercises. The 1844th has a long history supporting its combat arms units, whether from the Guard, regular Army, or Army Reserve.

From medical evacuation helicopters to training alongside medics and infantrymen from the 178th Inf. Reg., the training at Rising Thunder brought a new level of realism to the 1844th's training. Cunningham was especially proud of the Soldiers who jumped into action to fill the roles of their higher-ups when things got chaotic. His desired take-aways from Rising Thunder are teamwork and individual initiative.

"I hope our Soldiers remember that they have to know more than just their job," said Cunningham. "They have to be willing to step up and do more than just their position at any given time."