Sustainers hit the ground running in Haiti

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Dave Mcclain | 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) vehicles stand ready to execute missions in support of Joint Task Force – Haiti. The command deployed to the Caribbean country to provide logistics expertise to the international relief effort helping the country recover from a 7.0 magnitude earthquake Jan. 12.  

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI

02.05.2010

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Dave Mcclain 

3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

The group of Soldiers joined over 50 3rd ESC members already on the ground forming Joint Logistics Command — Haiti, led by 3d ESC commander, Col. (P) Robin Akin. The command is providing logistical expertise to the relief effort in the earthquake-ravaged country. About half of the 3rd ESC's Soldiers are now deployed to Haiti.

Fort Knox resident and Austin, Minn. native Maj. Chad Nangle was one of the first 3rd ESC Soldiers on the ground in Haiti.

Nangle says that the first large group of ESC Soldiers who arrived in Haiti built the JLC task organization, established the initial coordination and relationships with other governmental agencies and the other military services and established the JLC Headquarters at the airport.

But all that was just the beginning.

The first group of Soldiers also worked with the Navy and the Coast Guard to reopen Haiti's main port, moved the JLC headquarters to another part of the airport, established two logistics hubs away from the airport, and planned for a two week World Food Program surge currently underway.

All that was accomplished before the main group of ESC Soldiers even arrived.

After an initial deployment of several key ESC leaders in the days following Haiti's devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, 41 more 3rd ESC Soldiers arrived in Haiti on Jan. 29.

"That first group that came in gave us the necessary staff that was able to begin establishing commodities management," said Nangle.

As for the arrival of the main group, Nangle added, "That's staff augmentation that will allow us to go 24 hours a day."

Less than six months after returning from a 15-month deployment handling the logistics mission for the entire Iraqi Theater, the 3rd ESC finds itself in Haiti, not supporting a war effort, but rather a humanitarian mission. Nangle feels that the unit is up to the task.

"Although it's different than what we did downrange in Iraq, the systems and processes we use are the same," said Nangle.

• Date Taken: 02.05.2010
• Date Posted: 02.05.2010 23:30
• Story ID: 45004
• Location: PORT-AU-PRINCE, HT