The mission of most Marines is to support those Marines who are those on the front lines. Marines and their equipment wouldn’t be able to get to where they need to be without motor transport operators, who not only drive the vehicles, but maintain them as well. Managing editor Tami Roleff talked last week with a Marine deployed to Afghanistan with Regimental Combat Team-7 about his responsibilities in Motor T…
Lance Corporal Matthew Friesen enjoys being a motor transport operator. “It’s actually a lot of fun being able to drive Humvees and big armored vehicles. It’s every kid’s dream, I guess you could say.” Friesen is trained not only to drive humvees, cargo vehicles, troop-carrying vehicles, and tow trucks, or wreckers, but to maintain them as well. “It’s good to know we help out other units as well with fixing their trucks and making sure they’re able to complete whatever mission, whatever job they have to do.” In fact, Friesen kept stressing how his job is to support the other units so they can do their job. “One of our main roles here is to aid our supporting units, they’re mission ready. We’re doing a lot of maintenance on vehicles, we make sure everything is up and running and ready to go.” You’d think a Marine who drives those big old military vehicles would have a big vehicle of his own. But when Friesen is at home in Joshua Tree, he drives a much smaller vehicle. “At home I drive a Honda Accord. You sit a little bit lower.”
WE TALK TO A MARINE IN AFGHANISTAN MAINTAINING THE VEHICLES
