Quartermaster company adapts to changing mission

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers with the 102nd Quartermaster Company pose for a photo with Lt. Col....... read more read more

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers with the 102nd Quartermaster Company pose for a photo with Lt. Col. Christopher Mohan, commander of the 80th Ordnance Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) and a Carthage, N.C., native.  see less | View Image Page

JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ

03.08.2010

Courtesy Story

13th Armored Corps Sustainment Command (13th ESC)

✔ ✗ Subscribe

11

By Capt. Charles C. Allen

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — Under pending deactivation orders, the 102nd Quartermaster Company out of Fort Campbell, Ky., deployed a second time in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This time, however, the unit was tasked with a water purification mission supporting Warfighters located throughout Iraq.

Equipped with the experience and the capability to receive, store, issue and distribute fuel, the transition to water purification was not an overwhelming challenge for the unit, said 1st Sgt. Johnny Ford, the senior non-commissioned officer of the 102nd QM Company, 80th Ordnance Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

"We simply sent roughly 25% of our force to a water operations course at Fort Story, Va., and cross trained the remainder of the unit during several week-long exercises at Fort Campbell's Kyle Lake prior to deployment," said Ford, a Homedale, Idaho, native.

The company significantly enhanced their training exercises by constantly rotating their water teams to the training location, averaging three to four combat logistic patrols each day, said Ford The unit's CLP training placed equally heavy emphasis on convoy planning, tracking and security, he said.

"Although we had no requirement to internally move our water teams to the mission sites in Iraq, we wanted to possess those critical skill sets in case we were called upon to do so," he said.

Additional CLP training included driver's training, weapons training, live fire exercises, counter-improvised explosive device lanes, vehicle rollover training and global-positioning system training.

When the unit arrived in Iraq, the water purification mission succeeded with no issues, said Ford. For the first six months, air travel was utilized to rotate water teams to various bases and to conduct site surveys and leader visits. This often proved to be a limited and unreliable means of travel, he said.

Midway through the deployment, the 80th Ordnance Battalion out of Fort Lewis, Wash., acquired a fleet of Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles and tasked the company's third platoon as the battalion's personnel security detachment.

Challenged with its own equipment-retrograde mission in support of the upcoming drawdown of forces, the PSD instantly provided the 80th Ord. Bn. with the flexibility to efficiently and effectively move its assets around the battlefield with minimal external support, said Ford.

The MRAPs also enhanced battlefield circulation capabilities, by enabling the PSD to safely escort key leaders throughout their areas of responsibility in order to conduct troop morale visits, site survey analysis, and attend special events. The PSD and MRAP package will be another important capability the 80th Ord. Bn. will hand over to its replacement unit, he said.

"This is exactly what we trained for ... [the] PSD mission has proven to be a huge morale boost for the Soldiers, and the constant training and mission execution has dramatically increased individual leadership development as well as technical and tactical proficiency throughout the platoon," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Morey, a platoon sergeant with the 102nd and an Adrian, Mich., native.

Though initially reluctant to perform mission tasks outside their scope of familiarity and occupational specialty, the Soldiers of the 102nd QM Company have proven themselves to be flexible, multi-functional logisticians, said Ford.

Expanding their mission has helped the company see the big picture of their command's mission in Iraq.

"Our Soldiers now have a much broader perspective of the Battalion's overall mission," said 1st Lt. Daniel Tuoti, a platoon leader with the 102nd and a Buffalo, N.Y., native. "Being on the PSD allows for us to interact more with other elements within the battalion, while continuing to directly support our own unit's water purification platoon."