CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea -- On a balmy Tuesday evening a Korean Rail train rolled slowly over the arched rail bridge and into Camp Humphreys, its cargo Bradley Fighting Vehicles belonging to Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion 8th Cavalry.
Formerly based at Camp Casey in Dongducheon, the 2-8th Cavalry is the first major tactical unit to move south to new facilities here. The battalion, a part of the 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas, is a rotational unit serving a nine-month deployment in support of the 2nd Infantry Division.
The battalion moved July 12-15 by road and rail. Wheeled vehicles drove through the early hours when there was less traffic, especially in Seoul. The battalion's armored vehicles, Bradleys and 72-ton Abrams main battle tanks, came by rail into the new Humphreys railhead.
The rail cars arrived day and night and the Cavalry Soldiers moved quickly and efficiently to free the vehicles from the flatbed cars and drive them off. Soldiers loosened and then unhooked the tie-down chains front and rear of the vehicle.
Simultaneously, Soldiers moved down the line of cars, a pair to each flatbed, and knocked free the wood blocks that were nailed to the deck to further secure the Bradleys.
Free from their tie downs, the Bradleys and other armored personnel carriers were ready to drive off the flatbed cars. Soldiers climbed into the driver's hatch and fired up the engine. A line of Soldiers on the rail cars and concrete rail head guided the vehicles off and into a waiting convoy.
When all of the vehicles were ready, they drove to their new home in a brand-new motor pool, not far from the railhead.
More 2-8th Cavalry units followed and by July 15 more than 100 armored vehicles had arrived at the Camp Humphreys rail head, according to 2nd Lt. Keita C. Rodgers, the Mobility Officer of the 138th Movement Control Team, 25th Transportation Battalion and the officer in charge Humphreys rail head.
Rodgers said the unit accomplished the mission safely and effectively.
"In the transportation business, safety and efficiency is everything, as long as everything is safe and efficient the mission is accomplished," Rodgers said.
Rodgers said the credit for success goes to the Soldiers from his team and the 2-8th Cavalry.
"It falls on the Soldiers and their training. Your planning can be great but unless the Soldiers do their job well, safely and efficiently, the mission won't be successful," he said. "That's why this mission was a success, all of the Soldiers, ours and the 2-8th Cavalry, did what they were trained to do."
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