1ABCT Heads to Poland

They annotate every deficiency on the proper form and place it into their binder, as well as, checked to make sure they had enough food and water for two days as part of the procedures before heading out on their mission May 18.

Afterward, they gather around the convoy commander to receive their convoy brief prior to leaving Grafenwohr Training Area to Poland in support of Exercise Anakonda 16.

Staff Sgt. Noudehou Koutangni, Convoy Commander, 3BSB, explains how it is very important to do a route recon, movement paperwork and diplomatic clearances per person prior to the mission to Poland.

" It was meetings after meetings to talk about the route to ensure it was set in stone, and to make sure we understood the route to get here," he said.

Each vehicle had two or more licensed drivers for this mission. As they stopped along the way to fuel up, the drivers could switch out with each other to give the last driver a rest. They also stopped once during the day for about 12 hours, so the Soldiers could rest prior to driving again. This was prior planning to keep each Soldier well rested so the mission would be completed accident free.

"The biggest challenge we faced during this mission was the lack of sleep," said Koutangni. "Eventhough the Soldiers rested today, most of them are not use to driving a long distance at night."

The two-day convoy to Poland was very tiresome. However, the Soldiers pushed through to complete their mission and make it to their destination on time.

"Safety comes first," said Staff Sgt. JC Hinton, Assistant Convoy Commander, 3BSB. "I've learned a lot from this experience, and most of all the Soldiers listened and did well."