“Walk in the tracks,” 1st Sgt Stephen Cummings told me as we walked toward the Helmand River. I was shooting some video, and veered off a little. Then, not looking where I was going, I veered off again.
“I said walk in the tracks! You know why I say that, don’t you?” He reminded me that any ground that hasn’t been run over by a vehicle could potentially contain an IED. So, I made sure to stay to in the tracks.
1st Sgt Stephen Cummings oversees 31 LAVs used for gear and personnel
1st Sgt Cummings is a member of the Marines’ 1st LAR. The 43-year-old originally from Memphis, oversees the 31 light armored vehicles in Charlie Company that transport passengers and supplies. He’s based at South Station, a remote base south of the river that has even fewer creature comforts than FOB Payne. There is no refrigeration. So, their bottled drinking water comes in two temperatures, warm or hot.
Cummings and his wife Tamara have two children, Sean, 15 and Lauren, 7. But his right hand man, Lance Cpl Brandon Foley is just getting started.
LAV-log driver, Lance Cpl Brandon Foley
The 25 year old LAV driver got married to his wife, Evilina, on April 5th, exactly one month before shipping out to Afghanistan.
He’s going home in December. But unlike his boss who’s been a Marine for 23 years, Brandon plans to leave the Corps.
“I want to work for the FBI and fight cyber-crimes,” he told me.
He plans to finish up his degree in computer science after his service ends in July.