Guardmen Keep On Truckin'
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Story & Photos by PFC Joshua Corsa - Posted Aug, 2001
If you had asked Sgt. Chuck Carolus what hed be doing this week, he would never have predicted hed be helping to fight an 80,000 acre wildfire. None of his fellow soldiers would have predicted it either. In fact, this is the first time Carolus or any of his fellow soldiers have worked on a wildfire.
Carolus is one of 34 citizen-soldiers from the 66th Aviation Brigade, based at Gray Army Airfield at Fort Lewis, that are providing transportation support for what is currently the highest-priority wildfire in the nation - the Virginia Lake Complex.
The group, which is composed of soldiers from a variety of support fields, including maintenance, air traffic control and mechanics, was alerted on Thursday, and left for the fire, which was raging on the Colville Indian Reservation in North Central Washington, on Friday.
Its a good service, said Carolus, a mechanic on normal drill weekends, but now one of the many ad-hoc truck drivers. Im proud to be serving our state in a time of need.
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The group, known as Task Force Patriot, was given the assignment of providing transportation for the more than 2,000 firefighters struggling to contain the complex of three fires. At that point more than 79,000 acres had already burned. I was overwhelmed by the size of the fire, recalled Sgt. Carolus. It was astonishing.
The unit utilized both 5-ton and 2 1/2 - ton transport trucks to move crews of firefighters to and from the fire lines. The six-wheel-drive vehicles allowed the soldiers to get the firefighters to remote areas that are not accessible by civilian trucks.
We're able to get the firefighters closer to the fire, and that helps make their job easier, said Sgt. Carolus. The firefighters were very grateful and appreciative. They are glad were here.
In addition to the real-world mission and its benefits, the soldiers also see this deployment as a good opportunity to train and establish a good working relationship with each other.
It's nice to be able to drive the vehicles out of the motor pool, which is something we dont do on a regular drill, Carolus said. Its definitely a learning experience.
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Sgt. Duane Cruz, an Aviation Armament Missile Systems Repairman, agreed. Theres quiet an eclectic mix of individuals out here, he said.
We were all strangers at our first formation, but now were working as a cohesive unit. Its a positive thing to come together as a battalion and a brigade and make it work.
The unit performed missions throughout the day, with as many as 20 trucks shuttling firefighters out to the fire line at 7 a.m. in the morning. During the day, the drivers would move the firefighters around the fire as needed before returning to the base camp between 7 and 8 each night. Their deployment will last as long as transportation, and despite leaving their civilian jobs, the soldiers are not complaining.
The days are long, but rewarding, Carolus said. I definitely have more respect for the firefighters for what they do.
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