‘Iron’ Brigade motorcyclists ride in name of safety
Soldiers line up in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team headquarters parking lot moments before rolling out on a brigade motorcycle safety ride with approximately 50 “Iron” Brigade Soldiers Aug. 30. Photo by Sgt. R.J. Gilbert, 2nd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs.
Sgt. R.J. Gilbert,
2nd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs:
Approximately 50 “Iron” Brigade Soldiers went on a 2nd Brigade Combat Team motorcycle safety ride Aug. 30, beginning at their East Fort Bliss headquarters building and ending at El Paso’s Ascarate Park.
“The brigade safety ride is important because it helps to promote a safety mindset within the ranks of the brigade’s motorcycle riders, as well as enforcing Army safety standards, while increasing camaraderie and esprit de corps – bottom line is it saves lives,” said Sgt. James Lea, systems operations sergeant for the brigade Adam Cell, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Special Troops Battalion, 2nd BCT. “On Fort Bliss there have been three motorcycle rider deaths this fiscal year and in that same time 2-1 AD has had zero deaths.”
With 43 motorcycle fatalities in the Army for fiscal 2012 and soaring gas prices causing Soldiers to look for more fuel-efficient modes of travel like motorcycles, the importance of motorcycle safety is now more relevant to Soldiers than ever before.
“The safety rides get to mix the different experience levels,” Chief Warrant Officer 2 Anthony Nelson, an ammunition technician with A Company, 47th Brigade Support Battalion. “I have ridden 20 years and some of these riders are brand new, so it mixes our new riders in with the more experienced riders so they can learn how to ride; for instance, breaking distance and what to watch for. Like the other day I slowed down when I saw a woman was driving with her knees and texting. Some new riders might not know to look for that. As mentors, we get eyes on the riders and it allows us to gauge their experience level and also to share our knowledge.”
The convoy of motorcyclists that comprised 2nd Brigade Combat Team’s motorcycle safety ride travels the El Paso roadways en route to the half-way point of Fabens, Texas, Aug. 30. Photo by Sgt. R.J. Gilbert, 2nd BCT, 1st AD Public Affairs.
“Some of the basic knowledge that we share with riders that are new to this area are things such as driving with extreme caution after fresh rain because the roads get very slick after rains,” said Lea. “Also, when riding on Transmountain, watch for windy conditions, because when the wind picks up, it can blow you off the road and even blind you with the dust it picks up. So you should have goggles on you just in case the wind picks up.”
Even for the ride there are required safety adjustments to ensure rider safety.
“After watching the riders for the first leg of the trip we will then know who we need to further watch, coach or put on high risk,” said Nelson. “Then you can figure where to put them in the formation.”
In this particular safety ride, the riders were separated into three groups at the half-way point at a gas station parking lot in Fabens, Texas. From that point, sailing to Ascarate Park was smooth.
“After the first half of the ride it was pretty nice when we got the chance to just sit back and cruise,” said Spc. Nathan Cantrell, a Bradley fighting vehicle systems maintainer with A Co., 1st Bn., 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd BCT. “It just made everything so enjoyable.”
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