1st HRSC team deploys in support Operation United Assistance

Photo By 94th Airlift Wing | Sgt. Jessica Garrett, left, and Spc. Justin Siler, Soldiers from the 1st Human Resources Sustainment Center, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, led a personnel accountability mission here for incoming Soldiers from the 101st Sustainment Brigade in support of Operation United Assistance. (Photo courtesy of 1st Human Resources Sustainment Center, 21st Theater Sustainment Command)  

KAISERSLAUTERN, GERMANY

11.17.2014

Courtesy Story

21st Theater Sustainment Command

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – When U.S. President Barack Obama announced American Forces would undertake efforts to stem the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, the Soldiers of the 1st Human Resources Sustainment Center responded immediately.

Within one week of requesting forces, Sgt. Jessica Garrett and Spc. Justin Siler were on a plane Oct. 14 headed to Dakar, Senegal, to establish a personnel accountability team in support of U.S. Army Africa. Based on the mission, terrain, weather, troops and support available, time available and civil consideration principles, the Personnel Reception, Staging, and Onward Movement Division provided the two-person accountability team as a bridging strategy until the 101st Sustainment Brigade arrived on the ground and assumed the enduring mission.

In an operational environment as critical as West Africa, the need to ensure accurate personnel accountability was paramount. The need to ensure every protective measure was briefed and in place for Soldiers. Siler stated, “not only are you concerned about the people there and the mission to stop this deadly virus, but we are also concerned for our own health and the safety of our fellow Soldiers.” Protective measures were used when processing passengers from Liberia and other countries to ensure the health and safety of everyone on the ground; but otherwise, the operation as a whole resembled a standard expeditionary reception center.

Over the course of a month, these two Soldiers received 17 flights, processed several hundred personnel and briefed the ground forces commander on a daily basis regarding personnel flow projections and "boots on the ground" by location.

When discussing the after action review, Garrett said, “We were tracking and processing Sailors, Soldiers, Airmen, Marines and civilian personnel. We were constantly focused on what we could do to ensure successful reception and integration of all (Department of Defense) personnel. In the last two weeks, the operational tempo increased dramatically; it’s a good thing we arrived early to trouble-shoot in the first two weeks when it wasn’t so busy.”

Secondary to establishing a successful intra-theater personnel accountability team is the follow-on mission to set the stage for a successful transition. Based on the request for forces, Garrett and Siler would only be on ground for approximately 30 days in accordance with established force-sharing agreements. This was accomplished through direct communication with Soldiers on the ground, providing them guidance and direct efforts and coordination with other units and leaders in country.

Garrett and Siler returned to Ramstein Air Base in Germany Nov. 16 and immediately began re-integration activities with their unit, family and friends.

The 1st HRSC PAT team deployment is one of several early-entry missions that the 21st Theater Sustainment Command has accomplished in West Africa.

• Date Taken: 11.17.2014
• Date Posted: 11.26.2014 09:24
• Story ID: 148887
• Location: KAISERSLAUTERN, DE