Eustis celebrates Transportation Corps birthday 'through the eyes of a transporter'

by Staff Sgt. Katie Gar Ward
633rd Air Base Wing Public Affairs

7/28/2014 - JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- Members of the Fort Eustis and transportation communities celebrated the U.S. Army Transportation Corps birthday with a series of events July 24 and 25 at Fort Eustis. The celebration included an exhibit opening at the Army Transportation Museum, a Hall of Fame induction ceremony and a visit from the U.S. Transportation Command deputy commanding general.

Throughout military history, the need for transportation has been integral to supporting worldwide contingencies. During the Revolutionary War, transportation was handled through two branches - the Corps of Engineers and the Quartermaster Corps. The Transportation Corps was created on July 31, 1942, in the midst of World War I, when the Department of War recognized the need for a single branch to manage Army transportation.

In celebration of the Transportation Corps' 72nd birthday, the Transportation Museum hosted an opening for its new exhibit featuring Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The 5,000-square-foot gallery took more than 18 months to complete and features new artifacts and advanced, interactive audio and visual technologies, said David Hanselman, Transportation Museum director.

"Our previous gallery was only 1,200 square feet, so the storyline ended in 2010 in Afghanistan," said Hanselman. "The expanded gallery tells the story of Transportation Corps Soldiers through these conflicts, and transitions from Desert Shield and Desert Storm through a chronology of 10 years in Iraq and Afghanistan, highlighting the changes, challenges and hazards our Soldiers went through."


U.S. Army Brig. Gen. John P. Sullivan, Army chief of transportation, gave opening remarks during the exhibit's ceremony and expressed an appreciation for the role Transportation Corps Soldiers have played in movement of combat power during those conflicts.

"This exhibit serves as a testament to our Soldiers' service, but is not an exercise in nostalgia - it's much more about our future than our past," said Sullivan. "Our museum and this exhibit are all about connecting the current generation of transporters, as well as future Army transporters, with those who have preceded them. It's about teaching the hard-won lessons of previous conflicts and more than anything, to remind those of us currently serving of the sacrifices and accomplishments of our predecessors, which call each of us to a higher standard of service."

Following the ribbon-cutting, the museum also held a Hall of Fame induction ceremony to honor 10 people who made significant contributions through actions beyond normal duty which enhanced the Transportation Corps' mission.

As an extension of the birthday celebration, U.S. Navy Vice Adm. William Brown, U.S. Transportation Command deputy commanding general, toured various organizations, including the installation simulator, the 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), and the 597th Transportation Brigade.

U.S. Army Col. Randal Nelson, 7th Trans. Bde. (Ex.) commander, expressed gratitude for being able to highlight transportation capabilities to Brown in conjunction with the Transportation Corps birthday.

"Any chance to illustrate that the Transportation Corps is at the tip of the spear, and that we have paid a heavy price, is beneficial to our current formation, and honors those who fought before us," said Nelson. "It's an honor to have Vice Adm. Brown visit our team. Illustrating our current capability and discussing our ongoing operations - both maritime and ground - demonstrates that we continue to carry on with dynamic missions, much like the Transportation Corps generations that blazed a trail before us."

In honor of those Soldiers, Hanselman said the Transportation Museum team will continue to pay tribute to their contributions and sacrifices through exhibits that help tell the story of the Army as a whole, preserving those stories for generations to come.
"We represent the Transportation Corps, but we are also the voice of the Army for many who come through our doors. We may tell the Army story through the eyes of a transporter, but really, it's the story of all Soliders -- in Iraq, Afghanistan, World War II, or any conflict," said Hanselman. "When the Soldiers come through and they tell us, 'You got it right,' to us that's everything. We're doing this for them, their families and the American people who want to learn their stories. It's our job to get it right, because that's what the Soldiers deserve."