The Story:
Logging 434,000 miles, 14 missions, and nearly four months on some of the world’s most dangerous roads earned Air Force Technical Sergeant Jeremy Sudlow the military’s fourth-highest combat award, the Bronze Star. The scourge of the desert - the improvised explosive device was always a possibility, yet Sudlow heroically led his convoys to complete their operations. Coalition forces in Iraq rely on supply convoys for their entire mission, and Sudlow handled this dangerous job for six months while serving the 424th Medium Truck Detachment. Without this precious cargo, the intense tempo of the war effort could never have been maintained.
Sudlow demonstrated his managerial skills by training his assistant convoy commander and lead vehicle commander in advanced convoy techniques to ensure the safest possible travel for all missions under his command. With the IED threat looming over every journey, Sudlow worked to continually upgrade the convoy vehicles, equipping them with “Go-Lights” to improve visibility, and sirens to alert daytime traffic. During one operation, Sudlow’s convoy captured a group of criminals who had stolen military and civilian equipment from their contracted vehicles. Sudlow alerted Forward Operating Base Taji of the incident and successfully concluded the mission.
Once, an unidentified vehicle made an alarming u-turn towards the supply column while on the road in Iraq. Sudlow had to make a split-second judgment. Was it a suicide-bomber behind the wheel, or an innocent Iraqi civilian? Previous lessons he had given to the gun-truck crews helped them remain calm and focused. It turned out that there was no threat, and because of Sudlow’s forward-thinking leadership, a tense situation passed without incident.
The Tech Sergeant’s paramount concern was always the wellbeing of his 15-man squad and the foreign nationals assigned to his convoy. Due in no small part to his efforts, Detachment 424 escorted 4,680 tractor-trailers loaded with valuable cargo from Kuwait to Iraq while guiding and protecting 2,300 foreign national drivers.