Army Reserves host truck rodeo

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 21, 2008 by Angela Deines

By Angela Deines

SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Although the Army Reserves has existed for 100 years, a new alliance between the military and the private trucking industry was celebrated Saturday in Topeka.

The 800th Logistical Support Brigade of the Army Reserves, headquartered in Oklahoma City, hosted a truck rodeo at Forbes Field to highlight the support the trucking industry is giving to military reservists and their families.

"These folks make tremendous sacrifices," said Joe de la Torre, of the American Trucking Association. "They are the backbone of what our military does. Their contributions to our country are often taken for granted."

De la Torre, formerly of Topeka, was the special assistant to former Gov. Bill Graves, who has served since 2003 as president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based American Trucking Association. He said Graves is recovering from eye surgery and couldn't make the plane trip for Saturday's event.

"He's a trooper. He'll be fine," de la Torre said. "But we felt compelled to support these efforts."

As part of Saturday's competition, 16 two-man teams from Army Reserve battalions from across the country competed in categories that consisted of a written test, course maneuvers and maintenance checks on three types of military cargo and personnel vehicles.

Col. Ken Jones, of Topeka, a reservist employed by Hallmark Cards, said the competition gives reservists the chance to demonstrate the skills needed while on deployment. He said it also demonstrates the commitment by the private trucking industry to supporting reservist drivers by making sure they have jobs after returning from a tour of duty.

"It eliminates the worry about whether there's a job for them when they get back," he said. "Everybody wins."

The event also gave Army reservists from around the country the chance to meet one another.

"I see the camaraderie among the soldiers and the leaders," said 1st Sgt. Lincoln Brown, 42, of the 391st Logistical Support Battalion in New Jersey. "It's a positive."

The results of the truck rodeo are expected to be announced today.

Angela Deines is a freelance writer in Topeka. She can be reachedat amdeines@aol.com.