While hauling bullets, safety remains top priority

By Sgt. Daniel D. Haun, 300th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentDecember 6, 2012

While hauling bullets, safety remains top priority
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 1052nd Transportation Company out of Kingstree, S.C. drove hundreds of ammunition crates July 19 for Task Force Wildcat during Operation Golden Cargo. Golden Cargo 2012 is the 21st in a series of annual training operations sponsored... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
While hauling bullets, safety remains top priority
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers from the 1052nd Transportation Company out of Kingstree, S.C. drove hundreds of ammunition crates July 19 for Task Force Wildcat during Operation Golden Cargo. Golden Cargo 2012 is the 21st in a series of annual training operations sponsored... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

BLUE GRASS ARMY DEPOT, Ky. (July 20, 2012) -- The 1052nd Transportation Company out of Kingstree, S.C. drove hundreds of ammunition crates to McAlester, Okla., July 12 for Operation Golden Cargo, while keeping safety paramount.

"We're the legs of the Army: anywhere the Army needs to go we take it," said Spc. Randolph Green, a motor transport operator and Kingstree native with the 1052nd.

"Anything that needs to be moved, we move it, whether it's by semi tractor-trailer, or by any other means of transportation that has big wheels," said Green.

Green and his fellow Soldiers are a part of multiple Reserve Component units that participate in Operation Golden Cargo, receiving hands-on logistics training, while providing the U.S. military with ammunition for training and contingencies.

Green emphasized the importance of safety during an exercise in which live munitons are being transported to and fro.

"A successful mission would be getting from point to point with no injuries, whether it's civilian or the Soldiers themselves, and the cargo being safe and secure upon arrival," said Green.

Working with certified commercial transporters and trained military units, the Army safely moves ammunition 40,000 times a year.

Spc. Matthew Hobbs, a motor operator from Augusta, Ga., agreed that safety was the cornerstone of this operation.

"Safety is the number one priority in this operation: if you don't have safety, if somebody gets hurt, that can hinder the mission from getting completed on time, which can cause a big problem," said Hobbs.

"My job is very important for Golden Cargo. My job is to make sure that the cargo gets to its location on time, safely, and in one piece," he continued. "My goal is to serve my country and uphold the Constitution to the best my ability."

Staff Sgt. Ernest Wroten, a motor transport operator with the 1052nd, said that his troops appreciate the serious nature of the exercise and the safety considerations that come with it.

We train to standard, not to time, when moving cargo like this: our troops appreciate safety," Wroten said.