Photo By Sgt. Keith Anderson | Pfc. Danny Hill (seated), support operations, 16th Sustainment Brigade, demonstrates...... read more read more
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By 16th Sustainment Brigade
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq — Gen. Carter Ham, commanding general, U.S. Army Europe, escorted by Brig. Gen. James Boozer, deputy commanding general, Multi-National Division-North, visited Soldiers and leaders of the 16th Sustainment Brigade, Sept. 21, 2008.
Before meeting with brigade leaders, USAREUR's newest commanding general took time to recognize outstanding Soldiers in the unit and gave them his new coin.
The following Soldiers were recognized: Spc. Luke Hartmetz, scout vehicle driver, personal security team, Bravo Company, 16th Special Troops Battalion, 16th SB. Hartmetz, 24, calls Lincoln, Neb., and Denver home.
Spc. Shaheed Mustafa, tail gunner, PST, Bravo Co., 16th STB. The 23-year-old is from Colombia, S.C.
Pfc. Edward Yahn, driver, PST, Bravo Co., 16th STB. The 24-year-old is from North Anson, Maine.
Spc. David Long, medic, Bravo Co., 16th STB. Long, 22, is from Green Bay, Wis.
Pfc. Brandon Tillery, communications, PST, Bravo Co., 16th STB. The 24-year-old claims Mount Vernon, Ill., and Mannington, W.Va., as home.
Staff Sgt. Shane Hatton, platoon sergeant, 574th Quartermaster Co., 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. The 30-year-old is from Newton, Kan.
Spc. Randy Dudek, mechanic and squad leader, 574th QM Co., 17th CSSB. The 24-year-old is from Hardee, Fla.
Spc. Aaron Heckahorn, armorer, 574th QM Co., 17th CSSB. The 22-year-old is from Sheffield, Ohio.
Pvt. Joseph Zimmerman, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th STB. Zimmerman is from Houston.
Spc. Carla Veney, administrative clerk, HHC, 16th STB. Veney, 22, is from Richmond, Va.
Spc. Jose Hernandez, administrative clerk, support operations, HHC, 16th STB. Hernandez, 28, is from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Spc. Ryan Frick, paralegal specialist, HHC, 16th STB. The 24-year-old is from Weldon Spring, Mo.
After the general recognized Soldiers he met with brigade leaders to assess the operational environment in Iraq "to more realistically shape training for multinational armies at the Joint Multi-National Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, and to verify that USAREUR is properly equipping and preparing its units for future deployments."
"One of the key reasons I came here was to get a sense of how well prepared and trained you are for this deployment," Ham told Col. Martin Pitts, commander, 16th SB, during a briefing. "If you had it all to do over again, what would you change?"
Pitts said that the training the brigade received at the JMRC was excellent, and suggested some minor additions to training, including more force protection and base defense training for brigade staff, and more contracting training.
After the briefing Cpl. Evan Fay, driver for the brigade command sergeant major, and Sgt. Brian Esslinger, gunner, PST, demonstrated the brigade's new Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle.
"The good thing was that he was already knowledgeable on the truck," said Esslinger, a 32-year-old from Seattle. "Because if he's knowledgeable on the equipment, he can make things happen, and when he's briefing U.S. leadership it is first-hand, straight-from-the-horse's-mouth."
The trip concluded with a tour of support operations, the logistical heart of the sustainment brigade, and a crucial element in enabling coalition forces and assisting Iraqis in transitioning to a stable and self-reliant Iraq.
"It's sometimes ugly, it's not fun, it's not very glamerous, but if you don't do it, the whole house of cards falls apart," the four-star general told SPO leaders.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.25.2008 02:11 |
| Story ID: | 24103 |
| Location: | QAYYARAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 688 |
| Downloads: | 383 |
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