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    Coming to the rescue, Army mariners move much-needed supplies

    Heavy metal

    Photo By Sgt. Scott Akanewich | U.S. Army Spc. Rolando Foster, a watercraft operator with the 651st Harbormaster...... read more read more

    KODIAK, AK, UNITED STATES

    06.20.2013

    Story by Sgt. Scott Akanewich 

    201st TPASE

    KODIAK ISLAND, Alaska – U.S. Army Reserve soldiers assigned to the 481st Transportation Company (Heavy Boat), based in Vallejo, Calif., participated in a three-month-long joint humanitarian mission on a small island off the coast of Alaska June 11, 2013.

    Army Reserve mariners partnered with U.S. Marines, and local Alaskan authorities in support of Mertarvik Innovative Readiness Training.

    The inter-agency task force is constructing essential infrastructure to facilitate the relocation effort of the tiny village of Newtok, said Warrant Officer Jacob Grobler, a vessel master trainee, 481st.

    According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the Yupik Eskimo village of about 400 people on the Ninglick River in western Alaska, is threatened by erosion, and melting and sinking permafrost.

    The “boaties,” of the 481st, were the perfect personnel with the right equipment for the mission, said Grobler.

    Not only because of their watercraft skills, but the vessels they operate, he said.

    “The Army Landing Craft Utility is a flat-bottom boat that allows it to run in shallow waterways, which makes it the ideal vessel for the job. Each boat is capable of carrying heavy equipment and vehicles such as bulldozers, dump trucks and compactors, as well as large shipping containers. The United States Army Vessels Paulus Hook and Palo Alto are transporting much-needed supplies to rebuild the infrastructure of Newtok,” he said.

    The current location of the village is precarious at best, said Sgt. 1st Class Bruce Poucher, as the first mate, USAV Paulus Hook, 481st. The Hook is an Army Landing Craft Utility boat participating in the operation.

    “The natives built a village right on the banks of the Ninglick River and it was simply washed away,” said Poucher. “The place is hip-deep in mud.”

    The UNEP reported that Newtok is surrounded on three sides by the Ninglick, which has slowly been eating away at the village for decades.

    The people who live here are known as “climate refugees,” because of the fact they are being displaced not by a single natural disaster, but rather the climate change affecting the environment.

    According to a report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the village could be entirely underwater by 2017.

    Hence, the urgency of the re-location efforts.

    The Innovative Readiness Training Program was signed into law in 1993 by the U.S. government as a means to improve military, while simultaneously helping American communities in need and the IRT in Mertarvik began in 2009.

    Safety is paramount for the soldiers as they wind their way up the Ninglick toward their destination, said Poucher. The difficult portion will be navigating the narrow, shallow and unpredictable Mertarvik as the boats move upriver toward Newtok.

    “Missions like this are more challenging because of the terrain,” he said. “There are rocks everywhere and danger at every turn. It can get really nasty.”

    An additional challenge facing the mariners as they maneuver in the frigid Alaskan waters is the unknown, said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Ken Lashbrook, 481st Transportation Company and vessel master of the Paulus Hook.

    “Much of the way is unmapped due to the ever-changing conditions,” said Lashbrook. “Not to mention the current changes direction every eight hours as the tide comes in and goes back out.”

    To mitigate this risk, a work boat is sent about five miles ahead of the LCUs, equipped with depth-sounding gear, and a global positioning system to plot any unmapped laces on the map where trouble could be lurking, said Lashbrook.

    Another critical factor in mission success is advance recon, said Lashbrook.

    “We’re always getting reports from the local fisherman and sailors regarding the conditions,” he said.

    Despite the challenges, Grobler was confident in the capabilities of the LCUs and the crew’s skill level, and believes they will be successful in their rare mission.

    “The biggest thing here in Alaska is the climate,” said Grobler. “Nothing is friendly and the water is frigid. We’re always working under adverse conditions and have to move fast before the conditions change. It’s a really unique mission, but we have the right equipment and trained personnel to get the job done.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 06.20.2013
    Date Posted: 06.20.2013 21:38
    Story ID: 108996
    Location: KODIAK, AK, US
    Hometown: VALLEJO, CA, US

    Web Views: 410
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN