There was no parade or big welcome home ceremony Friday afternoon when 88 S.C. Army National Guard men and women returned to their Summerville armory after a two-week training mission at Camp Atterbury, Ind. It was one of the largest wheeled vehicle convoys conducted by a National Guard transport unit in the United States in recent history.
Some 47 vehicles filed into the parking lot at the National Guard facility off US-78 near Jedburg Road. But before they could park and go home, all vehicles were re-fueled. The journey was 800 miles and three days each way.
The two units housed in Summerville are 1118th Forward Support Company (FFC) and 1223rd Engineer Company. Their mission was a nuclear detonation reaction exercise.
“We performed in the field eight days,” said Captain Elizabeth Tallent, commander of 1118 FFC. “We do support, feed, fuel, fix . . . mechanics . . . We hauled civilians, military, worked chow, hauled water, fuel, a little bit of everything.”
“If a nuclear disaster or threat would happen in the U.S., several units would deploy,” said Tallent, a Hanahan resident. Higher echelons of government would contact local mayors and governors who would be in charge of National Guard units, Tallent said.
“We assist those civilian incident commanders . . . We’re customer-service driven. Our main customer is the incident commander.”
The Guard provided fuel and food for an infantry battalion, Tallent said, pointing to a truck hitched with a 200-gallon tank of water called a “Water Buffalo.”
“I’m sick of water, Gatorade and Mountain Dew,” Tallent said.
Everyone was sweating in the blistering afternoon heat Friday as diesel engines roared and lines formed behind the fuel truck in the dusty parking lot. It was 115 degrees Fahrenheit inside the non-air-conditioned Humvees leading the convoys, according to Lt. Amanda Polk. The Light Medium Tactical Vehicles (LMTVs) that transported troops and supplies have air-conditioned cabins.
Tallent said the LMTVs transported 120 “pax” or people, the most ever for this unit.
“Touch-screen computers allow us to track where everyone is at in the convoy,” said Polk, pointing inside her Humvee. It was a memorable trip for Polk, who listened to the birth of her first grandson by phone from the field. Before arriving in Summerville Friday, Polk had to drive past the exit by her home in Lexington.
“Army people don’t roll their sleeves up anymore,” Tallent said, still hot inside the warehouse office. “Air Force can roll up their sleeves.”
“All my young soldiers had a chance to operate what they were assigned to,” said Transportation Platoon Sgt. Robert Terry, of Walterboro. After 40 years of service, this was his last major mission. “My hats off to everyone. We went through four big cities. They really had to drive. The military does have a good transportation school. That’s the way I wanted to go out. With a boom. It’s good to end with a mission.”
Infantry units flew in, Tallent said. “This was kind of monumental to get back here. When we were on the ground we were ready to go . . . to support . . . We didn’t have to find anything.
“We’ve got the mission for the United States. We can go anywhere. Anything. Natural disaster. We can give support. It makes us more effective and ready for anything here at home. Hurricane season is coming up.
“This is a new unit. It’s not quite two years old here in the area. We want to be Summerville’s National Guard. We’re trying to figure out how we can fit in.”