Some new faces recently took up residency at the Army National Guard Armory in Austin.

In early August, Company I of the 334th Brigade Support Battalion, Second Brigade, attached to the 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Infantry Division, moved from Faribault to Austin.

Company I is a specialty unit consisting of multiple Military Occupation Specialties (MOS), according to 24-year Army veteran Sgt. First Class Timothy Martin.

“The unit that was here before was just a straight transportation unit,” he said. “We support the infantry battalion. They are one of the most deployed battalions in the National Guard and every time they deploy, we deploy. Whatever they need, we support them with it.”

Members of Company I include mechanics, cooks, welders, drivers, and supply soldiers, just to name a few specialties. When not on deployment, Company I acts as emergency responders in the event Interstates 90 and 35 get shut down.

“We don’t have the SUSV (Small Unit Support Vehicle), but Albert Lea does, so when winter storms hit, we try to go out and help anybody that is trapped,” Martin said. “We’ll open up the gym (at the Armory), pull out cots and open up a warming center to make sure people are taken care of.”

In order to carry out the tasks of providing support, whether on deployment or responding to an emergency, having the right equipment is crucial. Adjacent to the Armory’s gymnasium is a supply room loaded with everything a soldier may need, such as rank, batteries, gloves, extra gas masks, glow sticks for the field and weapon cleaning kits. Also located in the supply room are vehicle casings that serve as communications for the vehicles in the field.

“They lock in and we slide the radios in,” Martin said. “It’s the bay station for communication in the vehicles. They’re powered by the vehicle, so they don’t run on batteries.”

“Since we moved here, we’re doing 100 percent reorganization, so we’re trying to make sure we have all of the right equipment for the right vehicles,” he added. “We pulled everything out of the vehicles that was sensitive and we’ve got it locked up in here, making sure they work.”

Some of the more complex equipment requires soldiers to spend up to six months at one of the Army’s schools to learn how to operate, Martin said.

The Armory’s garage bay currently serves as a temporary workout area as the reorganization effort continues. Exercise is vitally important to soldiers.

“As soldiers, we work out every day, especially the active guys,” Martin said. “At lunchtime, instead of eating lunch, we work out. If you don’t pass the Army Physical Fitness Test, it’s bad news for us because we can’t get released for active duty. Last Friday we got tested on it, and so far we’ve all passed.”

Outside one will find numerous vehicles designed to serve in a support capacity, such as the Expandable Van, also known as the Expando Van.

“The sides come out and it has a satellite on it,” Martin said. “It’s like an office in there; they’re the ones that can connect to the internet way out in the field and print and do all of the stuff that we need to have done.”

Nearby sits several Load Handling Systems, or LHS. Capable of lifting up to 11 tons with a hydraulic hook on the back, the LHS is designed to either bring plenty of supplies to the frontline or carry a disabled vehicle.

“It’s a very sturdy, very heavy vehicle,” Martin said. “Both front wheels move at the same time, so the turning radius is really difficult to get used to; they make a very wide turn. Soldiers have to be very skilled when driving it, especially when you take it through the Cities to Camp Ripley. People swerve in and out of traffic and if someone cuts in front of us, they’re harder to stop because of the weight we have. Our soldiers are very cautious when they drive these and have to pass multiple tests in order to drive one.”

The Armory boasts several Medium Tactical Vehicles, or MTVs. Each serves a different purpose, including one that Martin describes as “basically a huge toolkit,” carrying over 2,000 different pieces in drawers lining the interior walls.

Also included are multi-purpose Carriers, which Martin called “the armorer’s toolkit.”

“If any weapon jams or breaks, they have all of the extra parts in there to fix them,” he said.

 

But vehicles are just part of it. Additional equipment include Camels and Water Buffalos, small tanks used to carry water to the frontlines, and an AK (that would be an Assault Kitchen).

“They’re for our cooks,” Martin said of the AK. “They hook them up to the Humvee and they preset them, so they put all of the food into it and it cooks it. It’s like a heating system that cooks the food as they drive out to the field. By the time they get to the soldiers, the food is done. It’s basically a Chef Boyardee system. Once the soldiers get their meal, the cooks will clean it and get it ready for the next meal. It saves a lot of time and gets hot chow out to the soldiers as they need it.”

These are just some of the pieces of equipment the soldiers of Company I will be taking for their deployment to the African nation of Djibouti next year, where they will serve as a support unit. The deployment is a sign of the changing role of the Army National Guard.

“They used to say ‘one weekend a month, two weeks in the summer,’” Martin said. “It’s changed since the War on Terror. We do anywhere from two to four-day drills. At Camp Ripley, we do three weeks because we have so much more to do to keep up with the active Army. We don’t just do state missions; we’re one of the main deploying units.”

Martin added the unit deploys every three years, down from every other year not that long ago. Its most recent deployment was to Egypt for Multi-force Observation training.

“We’re always going someplace and doing something trying to build relationships with other nations,” Martin said.

Like many soldiers that go overseas, the members of Company I can sometimes have difficulties coping with changes after a long period away from home.

“It all depends on the soldier and what they have going on,” Martin said. “I’ve seen people come back, fall right back in place and continue on. I’ve seen others that really struggle with the life. It’s a different life, especially when you’ve got family back here; it is a mental challenge for these soldiers. You get into such a routine over there: you wake up, you have your own schedule most of the time and everything is within walking distance. Then you come home and have all of these other responsibilities; you have kids, you have a spouse, it’s just different. Some people see things and go through terrible things over there and they bring it back with them. It’s hard for them to let it go. One of our jobs is to help them out.”

Martin noted that the Austin community has stepped up to help soldiers transitioning from military to civilian life.

“With this community, especially Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, I’ve never seen a group so active and so wanting to give and help out,” he said. “It’s been amazing.”

But more than anything, Martin emphasized the soldiers of Company I want to do their jobs to the highest standards and carry a great deal of pride for what they do.

“I don’t think I’ve ever made a better decision than I have by raising my right hand and joining,” he said. “This has become my family; they’re my brothers. I love supporting the families, I love supporting the soldiers and I love helping out the community if I can. Even if I make a small difference, it was worth it.”