Our message is basic and sincere: This weekend we take time to honor those who have served our Nation and the greater mission of freedom. Our ancestors knew a good deal about the value of freedom and had a full understanding of the deep sense of responsibility and unselfish public service that that is frequently necessary to preserve that.

Railroads often were called upon to assist the Armed Forces during global conflict remain important in pace time as well.  A recent National Training Center post states: Soldiers from 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division have been loading tracked and wheeled vehicles onto rail cars over the last two weeks at Fort Stewart, Georgia in preparation for the brigade’s rotation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California in the near future

 

 

 

Loading and chaining down the vehicles onto the rail cars is one of the last steps before the brigade departs for California, where they will download the equipment and rapidly build combat power. In total the brigade will send over 1,000 pieces of equipment by rail to Fort Irwin, to include Abrams Main Battle Tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

Safety is one of the biggest concerns: “We want to make sure our equipment gets to its destination safely and securely, so we have teams placing at least 16 tie-down chains on each piece of equipment.” Though there are some differences in the procedures and standards, the brigade received significant experience in conducting rail operations over the last two years while in Europe as the Regionally Allocated Force for U.S. European Command. The post concludes “Being able to quickly load our equipment and get it to its destination shows that we are one of the most powerful Armies in the world.”

We wish all a peaceful and respectful Veteran’s Day. If you do elect time off to enjoy your hobby, we hope you consider our site in your general search. Our staff is determined to serve you in every way possible so you can take pleasure in one of the most outstanding hobbies in the universe.