European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 23, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Big stick 69th trans go Sixto Curameng Story and photo by Joe Mapother  bureaus of exhaust from a Tine of idling tractor trailers sets Trio ram Caps on lop of their exhaust stacks Happing in a trucker s Farewell wave As air or. Sixto Curameng Springs into the cab. The Roar of the 40&horsepower Tutt charged Cummins Dieser engine competes with Tho stereo a toying inside. Curameng leaves the . Army 69th trans co Yard and drives through the port of Bremerhaven to begin a run South to Glassen. Germany he s made the trip often during is five years in Bremerhaven. Bui this Hwy Day 726-mile run to Glossen Wiesbaden and Back will put him within a a Tang distance of 200,000 Accident free Miles. Beyond achieving a personal goal the run Marks the dose of a chapter in a driving career that has taken Curameng through Denmark. Holland Belgium. Luxembourg the Nash Ertons and Germany hauling toads ranging from ammunition to mail the time has come to get Oil the Road and gel on with the Hinga thai Are needed to further a career. Thyf1owa in with Curameng stencilled in Mack and surrounded by sate mileage awards is coming off the Grill of the truck assigned to him and supervisory duties at the motor Pool lie ahead. Curameng is single. 23. And an is. The Way a sees in the Lima has come to Start thinking about those business management courses he has wanted to take but co Ukon t while he was trucking around Europe he will miss driving once Vou re Oul of the motor Pool you Rel on your own thai s Freedom nobody looking Over your thou far All the Lime several hours out of Bremerhaven. Curameng to a /?., Ini a into the Muenst Artand  Curameng the big stick on hit Way to achieving of 200,000-Mtte goal he is soon joined by spec. 4 Curt. Brent Matthews. The of flare 63thac. Tana Drivers ate on the Way to Gisslen Vath to motto xxv Light trucks on their 40-foot trailers. Talk turns to the expected morning Rush hour traffic in the Frankfurt area the nex t Day. The Trio plans to leave Grossert Early the next morning for the drop off Point a depot in Wiesbaden Curameng is the company and battalion big stick the Driver with the Mosi Accident tree Miles under his Belt. Curameng left his Junior class of Farrington High school Honolulu. Hawaii six years ago to join the army a was one of three Brothers from a family whose father ones served As a Captain in the philippine army. They the . Army gave me two choices Mechanic or Buck Driver. I decided for truck Driver because mechanics Don t get to go  alter Basic training in Missouri he finished High school in the army and landed in Bremerhaven in 1981. There he was assigned truck number 69-5. The trucks have changed but Curameng s truck number has not the m915a1 has an automatic transmission with live Forward speeds and one reverse gear. Curameng likes the engine. He is not fond of the automatic transmission though to says it is More reliable than the old 16-Speed manual transmission with two reverse gears. Curameng s truck and military trailer can haul 90,000 pounds including the trailer. The dozen tires on the trailer and 10 on the tractor mean there is a lot of rubber hitting Tho pavement when that truck is rafting. The Flat country of Northern Germany gives Way to the Hilts of Germany s Sauerland Region. Curameng throttles the Rig Uphill Over Bridges that Span Scenic Rural landscapes Road signs clock the climb in meters-310.360, 410. The secret to driving a big truck Well Curameng said is not so much a matter of stepping on the Gas As knowing How to use the brakes All three of them. The Jacobs engine Brake is operated by a pedal on the floorboard where a manually driven vehicle s clutch pedal normally is located. Stomping on the Jake Brake sends a signal to the fuel pump which in turn signals a sending unil on the main engine Block. Fuel is Cut Oil and air is forced into the six cylinders. The diesel motor honks loudly As engine drag slows Down the Rig. On the steering column is a lever which controls the monday june 23, 1986 air brakes on the trailer Curameng jerks the trailer Brake sever to Send a Quick shot of compressed air to the rear wheels thai stows the trailer but does not lock the wheels. Curameng uses the Largo floor pedal that controls the truck brakes the least of the three the run to Glesse goes smoothly. Curameng drops his trailer for the night gasses the truck and checks the fluid Levels. The Day s drive burned up it tit so Gallons of fuel. By 6 30p.m. Curameng is parked behind a Beer at a table occupied by Beck with and a Driver from the same battalion. Spec. 4 Wesley Watson 1st trans co Nalmberg. Talk turns to where to watch out Tor tickets and women. Especially the women. The 106th trans in in oils Felsheim Germany is one of four bal talks under Tho Wing of the 37th trans group. Kaiser Slatlem. The four companies of the 106lh in Are stationed in Rosse sheim Nurnberg Giessen and Bremerhaven. It is 352 Miles from Bremerhaven to battalion Headquarters. When Curameng arrived in Germany loads were trucked South from brr Newhaven to their anal destination he said. Now the freight is trucked to trailer Transfer Points. It took Curameng about three years to Roach the 200,000 mile Mark. The company needed about one year to registers million Safe mites a Milestone it hit just about the same time that Curameng was driving the last of Hia 200,000 Miles. Those Miles have taken their toll on Curameng s Back. The constant bouncing causes him severe pan some Days. 11 is another reason to gel out of the cab for a while Curameng eases the tractor trailer Ili rough the Gates of the Wiesbaden wast depot shortly before 8 30 . There Are five trucks ahead of him waiting to unload. He Parks the truck and walks Over to a snack bar that serves Coffee in Large porcelain mugs. Three hours later he is Back on the Road to will be a 12-hour Day by the Lime he reaches Bremerhaven. As the hols North of Frankfurt loom ahead on the autobahn Curameng whistles along Wilh the stereo As his Leal and hands work the brakes. The speedometer continues to read a steady 50 Mph. The stars and stripes Page 13