Rolling safely with 2-349th LSB

By Sgt. 1st Class Stephanie WidemondMarch 19, 2015

Rolling safely with 2-349th
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Robert Farnsworth, recovery vehicle operator for 2-349th Logistics Support Battalion, 188th Infantry Brigade, gets more transmission fluid to top off a Humvee during a final preventive maintenance checks and services, prior to convoying to Fort ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Rolling safely with 2-349th
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT STEWART, Ga. - Safety in everything Soldiers do keeps the Army rolling along. Reservists with the 2-349th Logistics Support Battalion, 188th Infantry Brigade, conducted convoy operations to Fort Jackson, South Carolina, during a recent battle assembly weekend. Safe convoys take more than a weekend to plan for and execute.

"It took at least two months to plan and do all the paperwork and fix any maintenance issues," said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Evans, active guard reserve maintenance noncommissioned officer. The planning included ensuring everyone was properly licensed to handle the 23 vehicles heading to Fort Jackson.

"Last drill, we did prep and made sure every Soldier had the appropriate license," said Pvt. 1st Class Gabrielle Bush, unit dispatcher, 2-349th. She said that the unit conducts convoy missions at least once a quarter. "When we get a mission, we work together to complete whatever mission is asked of us."

Teamwork is built on trust, trust in knowing that other Soldiers will complete their part of the overall mission to ensure success. The reservists of 2-349th are a part of the total Army force, integral to the Army profession and use their expertise to meet the standards set forth by leadership.

"The way we practice convoys is the way we would perform them in a deployed environment," said Staff Sgt. Mark Ratcliffe, personnel NCOIC.

He joined the reserves in 2004 to serve his country, and deployed in 2006.

"We did postal missions between locations to secure supplies and currency," said Ratcliffe.

He said regardless of where the convoy is conducted, the most important thing is safety of both Soldiers and civilians.

The composite risk management process is a tool used to reduce unnecessary risks by identifying hazards and developing and implementing controls. Leaders and Soldiers using the CRM process before each mission help ensure mission readiness.

For the 2-349th, part of the process was making allowances for weather, planning for what happened if a vehicle broke down, and providing extra fuel for the Humvees.

"That's how we do it here," said Ratcliffe.