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“You, step up here.”
All eyes direct their gaze at
a lean, tall and tan specialist as he walks toward the man
wearing three stars on his Army Combat Uniform.
“Now,
I want you to sound off and tell these people what you told
me,” said the lieutenant general, gesturing to the scores of
Soldiers and airmen gathered around them.
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September 27, 2017 - Standing on a ramp of a U.S. Air Force C-17
Globemaster III cargo plane laden with troops and vehicles, U.S.
Army Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey, chief, U.S. Army Reserve, shakes
hands with Spc. Sergio A. Velazquez, a transportation management
coordinator assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 332nd
Transportation Battalion, 641st Regional Support Group, during an
aerial redeployment training mission, at MacDill Air Force Base,
Florida. Luckey joined Velazquez, a San Antonio, FL native and his
fellow Soldiers from the 332nd on the flight to observe firsthand
how the battalion planned, organized and executed a Deployment
Readiness Exercise Level III. DRE Level III evaluates a unit’s
capability to rapidly mobilize at its home station and deploy
overseas within 96 hours. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Carkeet IV)
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The
specialist faces the crowd, clears his throat, and claims in
loud, confident voice:
“’The Road to Awesome’ is a
mindset, not a destination.”
Those words, spoken by
U.S. Army Spc. Sergio A. Velazquez, a transportation
management coordinator assigned to Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 332nd Transportation Battalion, had
impressed the most senior Soldier in the passenger terminal:
U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Charles D. Luckey, chief, United States
Army Reserve.
“Outstanding, specialist. I know
generals who cannot define ‘The Road to Awesome’ as well as
you did.”
Luckey, who coined the term to summarize
his command philosophy, joined Soldiers from the 332nd
staged at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., as they conducted a
joint aerial redeployment training mission Sept. 27, 2017.
Luckey's participation demonstrated the significance of the
Army Reserve’s commitment to conduct realistic training
scenarios.
“The most important thing for me to do
today is to be here with you,” Luckey said to the troops
waiting to board a U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane. “What
you do today exemplifies why America’s Army Reserve is the
most lethal and capable federal reserve force in our
nation’s history.”
The aerial training mission
exposed Soldiers to the meticulous planning, careful
coordination and flawless execution required to transport
troops, vehicles and other warfighting supplies across
continents via land and air. The flight stood as the
culminating event for the battalion’s Deployment Readiness
Exercise Level III, a multi-phase operation that assesses a
unit’s ability to muster its troops, mobilize its assets and
deploy to any corner of the globe within a 96-hour window.
“I didn’t appreciate the scope and scale of this mission
until Luckey spoke with us,” admitted Velazquez, a
Rochester, New York, native. “It wasn’t until we boarded the
plane with our gear and left the ground did I realize that
this mission was conditioning our minds and bodies to the
rigors of warfare.”
The 332nd’s ability to deploy in
less than a week reinforces his “Fight Fast” doctrine that
designates key units that must stand ready to mobilize at a
moment’s notice.
“The enemy gets a vote on when we
go,” said Luckey. “That enemy no longer gives us the luxury
of planning months in advance. We have weeks—maybe only
days—to respond to these threats.”
Luckey’s “Fight
Fast” initiative coincides with his “Road to Awesome”
philosophy.
“I’ve read many of Luckey’s messages in
various posts and newsletters,” said Vilazquez, who, when
not wearing the uniform, helps recent college graduates
connect with employers by serving as a career counselor for
Ultimate Medical Academy in Tampa, Fla. “He states that
leadership, energy and execution drive us along the Road to
Awesome, which in turn drives the way we think and live.”
“Awesome is out there, just out of our reach,” said
Luckey. “We never quite achieve it because it constantly
moves forward. That’s why we have to keep pounding and
remain relentless.”
When Velazquez and his fellow
Soldiers from the 332nd stepped off the bus and onto the
flight line, they were greeted with a familiar figure
standing on the C-17’s ramp, welcoming the Soldiers as they
made their way to their seats.
“I didn’t expect to
see [Luckey] in the plane, and I was completely surprised
when he motioned me to break away from the line and stand by
his side,” said Velazquez. “We shook hands and he gave me
his personal contact card.”
“You are a future
leader,” the general said to Velazquez. “You have what it
takes to inspire people to do what must be done.”
After the plane landed and Luckey bade his farewell,
Velazquez joined his battalion on its convoy back to its
headquarters in Tampa. As engines roared to life and wheels
rolled onto the road, the 25-year old specialist began to
reflect on the mission and the man who oversaw it.
“At first, I was nervous that the chief of the U.S. Army
asked me to define his philosophy,” said Velazquez. “I
thought, ‘I’m just a specialist. What can I offer to a
general?’ But Luckey’s energy and composure put me at ease.
He lives and breathes the Army values, and that makes him no
different than any other Soldier in the Army. We’re one team
fighting one fight, and that to me is awesome.”
By U.S. Army Sgt. John Carkeet IV
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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