'Atlas' Carries Weight of Rashid

Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | The supply support activity warehouse at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad is where nine battalions are supplied from. The warehouse is operated by the 'Atlas' of Company A, 610th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.21.2008

Story by Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

By Spc. Nathaniel Smith
4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

BAGHDAD – "For want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost. And all for the want of a horseshoe nail."

Such is the life of a deployed supply section – supplying the warriors on the ground with every little piece of equipment, whether it's something as simple as a screw or as complex as heavy weapons systems.

A simple task, no, but one that the Supply Support Activity warehouse on Forward Operating Base Falcon, operated by Company A of the 610th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, has embraced head-on since they deployed from Fort Riley, Kan., in February, 2007.

Spc. Christopher Sherback, an automated logistics specialist with "Atlas" Co., 610th BSB, said while the workload has been a challenge, he sees the silver-lining.

"It's made the deployment fly by so fast," the Valparaiso, Ind., native said. "We get our breaks every now and then, but it's fun here; we have a huge workload, but that huge workload makes the day go by so fast"

Part of that huge workload comes from the fact that the 610th BSB's warehouse supports not only Task Force Dragon units, but all units on FOB Falcon, tallying up to a total of nine battalions.

Killeen, Texas, native Sgt. Deangela Black, the stock control specialist for the Phoenix's SSA, said on top of supporting units on FOB Falcon, they assist other bases in the area when possible.

"We provide a lot of support for units at other FOBs; say another base's SSA doesn't have a needed part, they call us," she said. "If we have it on us, we coordinate to get them the part."

Despite all the work going on at the 610th BSB's warehouse in their little corner of the post, the supply Soldiers' day-to-day duties largely take place behind the scenes, unnoticed by ground pounders.

Sherbak, who is on his first deployment, said that's fine with him.

"Personally, that's how I like it, I like being the one supporting all the guys out there," he said. "I've been supply for four years now, and I've loved every four years"

Black, who is on her second deployment, said her job provides a sense of satisfaction, supporting the troops on the ground.

"Even though I'm not going outside the wire, I feel good about my job because I know everyone here is supporting them with the necessary supplies they need to complete their mission," she said. "I feel good about that. Without those supplies, they can't do what they need to so we all tie-in together."

With 5,500 lines of supplies, it's no surprise the 610th SSA is capable of tying into everything going on in the Rashid District, from Aamel to Saha and Saydiyah to Doura.

Still, supporting an area of operations roughly equivalent to the size of Orlando, Fla., is no small task, and it's one the "Phoenix" has accomplished for the past 11 months.

Yet, Sherbak, who is married and has a four-month-old boy waiting at home, has no intention of letting up now and failing his fellow Soldiers. Instead, with the end so close in sight his philosophy regarding redeploying is simple.

"We'll get there when we get there."

• Date Taken: 01.21.2008
• Date Posted: 01.21.2008 12:56
• Story ID: 15616
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ