Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Luisito Brooks | Soldiers from 3666th Service Maintenance Company, 15th Sustainment Brigade, Phoenix...... read more read more
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CAMP TAJI, Iraq – A clump of dirt. A bag of pills tucked away in a rolled-up sock. An apple.
Any of these items could make an already long deployment even longer for Soldiers preparing to redeploy from Iraq.
Before any unit can pack up their equipment and head home, they first need the stamp of approval from a customs inspector signifying there are no harmful materials or contraband travelling with them.
But certified inspectors can sometimes be in short supply, so when a group of Soldiers from 472nd Signal Company, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division heard there was a need for inspectors at Camp Taji, they stepped forward.
“We volunteered for this assignment because there was a big need for certified customs inspectors,” said Sgt. David Knottnerus, a certified custom inspector team chief with 472nd Sig. Co. “Our purpose is to eliminate the flow of restricted or prohibited items from entering the United States.”
Soldiers from the signal company had received their customs inspections certification earlier in their deployment by taking a two-day course on Camp Victory, so when the need arose at Camp Taji, they didn’t have to jump though extra hoops to provide the assistance.
The group already knew about the laundry list of prohibited items Soldiers and commanders must wade through when preparing to redeploy. Knottnerus said the list can appear very daunting.
“The list of items that are prohibited is very long and should be requested from the mayor’s cell well in advance so that units can brief their Soldiers on what not to bring back. But we are looking for the big three: dirt, bugs and drugs,” said Knottnerus. “Foreign soil or dirt can carry microbes, bacteria, spores and other agents that can be harmful to American agriculture and human health.”
He added that they must ensure there is less than a pinch full of dirt inside the shipping containers.
Pfc. Tiffany Gasmena, a certified customs inspector from 472nd Sig. Co., said that trying to send home items covered in dirt is not going to cut it during the inspection process.
“We are going through every bag and every piece of equipment,” she said. “Basically, everything that is leaving this country must be checked.”
Like dirt, foreign bugs and animals can devastate the environment and crops back home by carrying and transmitting diseases.
Wood used for packing, blocking and bracing must also be pest free, said Knottnerus. He added that the lumber must bear the Department of Defense “Pest Free” certification stamp. Plywood is exempt from a stamp.
Knottnerus made a point to also highlight the importance of not sending drugs back the United States. “Drugs may not kill crops or animals, but it will kill morale, careers and the overall integrity of the unit.”
On the day of inspection, it also helps to be prepared in order to make things go smoothly, he explained.
“Containers must be unlocked and empty with its content beside the container,” said Knottnerus. “Contents will be clean and laid out ready to be inspected.”
He said doing this will cut the inspection time in half.
The advice was closely followed by members of 3666th Service Maintenance Company, 15th Sustainment Brigade from the Arizona National Guard, as they underwent the inspection process June 5.
“Luckily, we didn’t have a lot of things that needed to go back to the States,” said Staff Sgt. Rose Mattie, operations noncommissioned officer in charge in the unit. “When we were getting inspected, it was in the middle of the day and it was so hot – and just being prepared and ready for them really made the ordeal bearable.”
The length of the inspection process depends on the amount of equipment being inspected; incomplete until the inspectors give their final okay.
“After everything is checked, we have to watch the unit pack the shipping containers,” said Knottnerus. “When the container is closed, we put a seal on the container and our job is done.”
Despite all these efforts, Soldiers will still occasionally attempt to ship prohibited items back.
“We have found, in the past, contraband buried in strange place … like one time we found a Soldier with a steel baton in between some dirty cloths,” said Gasmena. “We are trained to find these items.”
Knottnerus added that it is better for everyone to avoid sneaking anything back home because, while it may seem like something small to the individual, the effects of their actions can impact the ability of their unit to redeploy on time.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2010 15:29 |
| Story ID: | 51299 |
| Location: | CAMP TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 581 |
| Downloads: | 467 |
This work, Customs Inspectors: No Bugs, Drugs or Dirt, by SFC Luisito Brooks, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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