Artifact of the Month
In 1990 the 172d was activated for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm brought their mascot The Crow.
The Crow on exhibit at the TC Museum.
The Crow on exhibit at the TC Museum.
In 1968, the 172d Transportation Company, a reserve truck unit based out of Omaha, Nebraska, was called up for service in Vietnam. The 172d did their train-up at Fort Lewis, Washington.
Just prior to shipping out, soldiers from the unit took a large bird ornament that had been hanging above the entrance to a store named “Yard birds”, and placed it outside the 1SGTs office. This ornament, now called “the Crow” deployed with the 172d to Vietnam. In an attempt to keep other units from stealing it while they were there, the unit added dirt to the Crow to weigh it down. When the 172d finished its one year tour their mascot, the Crow, returned with them to Nebraska.
The Crow soon became a fixture wherever the unit went. The 172d took it on training exercises, maneuvers, and deployments. Images of the Crow appeared on their vehicles as well.
In 1990 the unit was activated for Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and sand was added there. The 172d later saw service in Iraq where even more sand was added to their mascot. In 2007 the 172d Transportation Company was deactivated and the unit delivered their mascot, and some of his accoutrements, to the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.