Photo by Spc. Andrew Orillion Spc. Eric Crump shakes hands with Linebacker Matt Farrior during the Frankfurt Galaxy’s home opener, March 24. Crump, a HET driver and recipient of the Purple Heart, was a special guest of the team. Gridiron ‘Galaxy’ meets Purple Heart hero By Spc. Andrew Orillion meeting the night before the home opener. 3rd Corps Support Command Public Affairs He was nervous, but after all he had been In this issue… The meaning of the word “trust” turned through, he wasn’t about to quit now. For Welcome home from two fronts, p. 2 out to be just one lesson members of the Crump, the evening was a chance to tell Frankfurt Galaxy football team learned his story, and to offer the wisdom that can Soldiers mix with WWII vets, p. 5 from Purple Heart recipient Spc. Eric come from a brush with death. Crump, a former vehicle driver for the Feb. 18, 2005 was the day that changed Rear attacks excess, p. 6 377th Transportation Company (Heavy Crump’s life forever. Know your IG, p. 7 Equipment Transporter) during his visit “It started as a five day mission that with the team on March 24. became an 11-day mission,” said Crump, Lodge offers R & R deals, p. 8 Crump was invited to speak at a team -cont. pg. 4- Commander welcomes troops home from two fronts By Spc. Andrew Orillion An-Nasiriyah, Iraq in 3rd Corps Support Command Public Affairs support of Operation Applause echoed and cameras flashed Iraqi Freedom. Friday, March 10, as family and friends While the 26th QM officially welcomed back Soldiers from Co. was holding down the 26th Quartermaster Company of the the fort in Afghanistan, 485th Corps Support Battalion and the the Soldiers of the 619th Movement Control Team. 619th MCT were busy “Thank you all for coming out to providing support for celebrate the return of the mighty logistics OIF. warriors of the 26th Quartermaster Com- “They provided the pany and the 619th Movement Control highway regulation Team,” said 7th Corps Support Group function of movement Photo by Spc. Andrew Orillion Commander control and 619th MCT troops stand in formation March 10, during their home- Col. Catherine “Everyone who in transit vis- coming ceremony at the Carswell Gym in Hanau, Germany. Haight, during deployed with these ibility for all convoys moving Haight also acknowledged the work of the welcome units came home and is through the area,” Haight said. the men and women on the home front. home cer- The 619th MCT had to co- “There were home repairs, car repairs, emony. here today.” ordinate traffic flow to prevent sports teams, scout meetings, bible stud- The 26th convoy stacking and to move Col. Catherine Haight ies, hundreds of meals, a gazillion loads of QM Co. had convoys efficiently. 7th Corps Support Group Commander laundry, science projects, history papers, returned from a “This was accomplished for trips to the commissary and on and on,” deployment in over 7,700 convoys, an average Haight said. “And did I mention that the support of Operation Enduring Freedom, of over 20 per day, with over 190,000 ve- kids kept growing the while all this was while the 619th MCT was stationed in hicles and 250,000 Soldiers,” said Haight. happening?” Quartermaster company masters multiple missions unscathed By Spc. Andrew Orillion Karshi-Kanabad in Uzbekistan. in Afghanistan while the warehouse in 3rd Corps Support Command Public Affairs Fuel farms run by the 26th QM Co. in Salerno contained more than 1,800 items. “Out of the frying pan and into the Jalalabad, Farah, and Naray supplied more Logistics was only part of the mission fire,” is an apt description of the last three than 15 million gallons of fuel to troops for the 26th QM Co. years for the 26th Quartermaster Company “In addition to our regular duties, we of the 485th Corps Support Battalion. had to do entry control point duty which “Shortly after returning from a brilliant is usually reserved for combat arms year of mission accomplishment in OIF 1, Soldiers,” Capt. Kristopher Pataboy, 26th 26th Quartermaster was informed that it QM Co. company commander. “During would return to the fray—but this time it our deployment we searched over 2,000 would be in Afghanistan,” said Col. Cath- foreign trucks.” erine Haight, 7th Corps Support Group “While dangerous, ECP duty was commander, during the unit’s welcome beneficial because it allowed us to have home ceremony March 10. a lot of contact with the local nationals,” The 26th QM Co. returned home to Pataboy added. Germany Jan. 16, after a year deployment The 26th QM Co. also completed hu- in support of Operation Enduring Free- manitarian aid missions. The unit main- dom. It was the unit’s second deployment, tained and ran a humanitarian warehouse having previously deployed to Iraq in sup- containing more than 12,000 bundles of port of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March much needed supplies. 2003. The bundles were in demand in Oc- In support of OEF, the 26th QM Co. tober 2005, when a massive earthquake provided logistical support from multiple Photo by Dennis Johnson devastated parts of nearby Pakistan. Sgt. Thomas Higgins - 26th Quartermaster locations in Afghanistan including Ba- Company retention NCO - is welcomed In April the 26th QM Co.’s mortuary gram Air Base, Forward Operating Base home by his wife Jennifer, son Grayson and affairs team was called into action after Salerno, and Mazar-e Shariff as well as daughter Anna Katherine. -cont. pg. 3- 2 Sustainer Minute Homecoming: A Reason to Jump for Joy 26th Quartermaster Company welcome home fest on Fliegerhorst Kaserne March 10 Photos by Dennis Johnson, USAG Hessen Public Affairs Office Spc. Angela Watkins - 26th Quartermaster Co. petroleum supply specialist - jumps high with help from bungee cords. A German R & R band “Madhouse Flowers” entertains Soldiers and families of the 26th Quartermaster Co. Soldiers challenge a mechanical bull. -26th QM cont. platoon sergeant. “In Afghanistan we “OEF was a bit more laid back and a stayed in hard buildings which were much lot less dangerous,” said Sgt. First Class a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in a nicer. But more importantly, we were Mario Perez, platoon sergeant for the pe- sandstorm near Ghazni, Afghanistan, kill- more experienced, which really made troleum, oil and lubricant section. “But the ing 18 Soldiers. things easier.” job was more challenging because the unit “It was an unfortunate task but some- Beasley’s wife Karlette agreed that this was spread out.” thing we had to do,” Pataboy said. deployment was not as hard on the fami- With its footprint stretching from Italy Many of the 26th QM Co.’s Soldiers lies as the previous one. to Afghanistan, Pataboy was most im- served in both OIF and OEF. Most agree “This deployment was easier because pressed with how much the 26th QM Co. that OEF was the less stressful of the two we got to communicate more often. We accomplished and how well it adapted to deployments. spoke almost everyday,” Beasley said. its various tasks. “During OIF we worked from the “During OIF, we spoke only about once For Haight, and the families back ground up. We were staged in tents and every two weeks.” home, the 26th QM Co.’s greatest accom- had to dig our own foxholes,” said Staff Although less stressful, being in Af- plishment lay in its perfect casualty rate. Sgt. Chad Richard Beasley, Headquarters ghanistan was no picnic. Every Soldier who left made it back alive. Vol.2, Issue 1 - April 2006 3 - Galaxy cont. teamwork and Crump’s trust in his fellow “That was hard, but my family helped Soldiers, a common theme of his words me through it,” Crump said. “Anytime I telling the story of his last day in Iraq. to the Galaxy players and coaches, saved felt like I couldn’t handle it, I just called “Vehicles kept breaking down and we his life. back home.” couldn’t move. We were finally on our “At first everyone around me was It took the full support of Crump’s fam- way back home when it happened.” scared. They didn’t know what to do,” ily, and a good dose personal courage to Crump was riding in the second vehicle Crump said. “They stood around with their overcome what would happen next. in a convoy of 26 when insurgents deto- mouths open just staring at me. But once In 2005, Crump returned to Iraq for a nated their favorite weapon, an impro- I spoke, they pulled it together, patched second tour. This time his tour was cut me up and got me out of there. short. When I heard that helicopter “I almost didn’t live to see 25, when coming in, it was like a huge you think about that, that’s kind of scary,” rock had been lifted off me,” said Crump. “But if what happened taught he said. me anything, it’s that you have to keep A player later asked Crump your mind in the game.” how he built the level of trust One player asked Crump how the expe- in his teammates that got him rience changed his life. Crump’s response through those first harrowing reflected his new-found outlook. hours. “I had an epiphany,” Crump said. “I “Trial and error,” Crump love to drive, but I what I really want to do answered. “Just stick together is fly. The schooling is going to be long long enough and you’ll find and hard, but after what happened to me out what works when it comes in Iraq, I think I can survive five years of to building trust.” flight school.