B*N*S*N3

Army Sgt. 1st Class Byron T. Mills, a 286th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion transportation platoon sergeant from Temple, Texas, prays with soldiers at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, before leaving on a two-day combat logistics patrol to forward operating bases Lagman and Wolverine, June 25, 2009. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Elisebet Freeburg, Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan's public affairs office)

Maine Guard convoys roll through danger to deliver goods

By Army Spc. Elisebet Freeburg
Joint Sustainment Command Afghanistan's public affairs office

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, (7/20/09) - As combat missions increase in Afghanistan, a Maine Army National Guard battalion here is getting increasingly busy delivering supplies to forward operating bases under dangerous conditions.

Riding in mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, also known as MRAPs or "gun trucks," soldiers of the 286th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion escort Afghan army "jingle trucks" and military palletized load system trucks, all loaded down with U.S. military cargo. The convoys take the equipment to forward operating bases, sometimes through narrow city streets or in difficult terrain, always under the threat of enemy fire and facing the possibility of breakdowns or needing to take an alternate route....(Read more here)