By Robert Lake
Publisher
rlake@eTrucker.com

Trucking and soldiering are not easy jobs, but combine the two and you have profiles in courage that have raised the image of our industry in ways that a public relations campaign never could. This month’s issue of Truckers News spotlights three truckers who went to Iraq. Their stories reflect much of what is good about the trucking industry.

You’ve probably heard about Thomas Hamill, the trucker who escaped from his captors in Iraq and was hailed as a hero upon his return. What you might not know is that he gave very few interviews to the press but was happy to talk to Truckers News. A reluctant hero, his story (page 24) underlines the real dangers facing American military and support personnel.

Illinois trucker Jeff Mills (page 23) also handled a truck in Iraq, sometimes transporting prisoners of war and ammunition. He’s happy to be home and says his company, Schneider National, supported him throughout the ordeal and guaranteed him his job upon return to the states.

El Paso trucker Ken Krueger (page 25) hauled cargo in the war and talks to Truckers News about the dangers. The money is great, he says, but he warns that the risks are not to be taking lightly even though preparation and safety training are included in the package deal for civilian drivers in Iraq.

Whatever you think about the war, these truckers – and hundreds of others serving in National Guard units around the country and overseas – show that no matter what is happening, transportation is always a necessity. Heroic stories like Hamill’s remind the rest of the country that the role of truckers as knights of the highway is as valid today as ever.