Operations plays large role in mid-tour success

Courtesy Photo | 1st Lt. Daniel Reep (left), operations officer with the 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and a Oxford, Miss., native, swears in Sgt. Chuck Bethea, the night shift operations sergeant with the 15th Trans. Co., and a Jacksonville, Fla. native, during a re-enlistment ceremony on the roof of the company headquarters building Dec. 11 at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

01.23.2011

Courtesy Story

224th Sustainment Brigade

Story by: Sgt. 1st Class Jemse Cruz

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — Soldiers in the operations section of the 15th Transportation Company, 110th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), contribute greatly to the company‘s overall mission by providing truck transportation management to sustainment operations and United States Forces – Iraq.

The operations section, or “OPS” as it is known by the Soldiers, say they are honored to serve and support the 110th CSSB Support Operations by providing a high quality group of knowledgeable operations personnel at the company level to manage missions for the truck company. Each soldier has previous deployments, thousands of miles driven and has led numerous soldiers. These soldiers provide mission preparation and the structure needed to facilitate some of the most demanding logistical convoy movements in Iraq.

“I’m fortunate to be part of this team, knowing that I also contributed as a wheeled vehicle driver in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2007 to 2008,” said Sgt. Chuck Bethea, the night shift operations sergeant with the 15th Trans. Co., 110th CSSB, and a Jacksonville, Fla., native. “This job allows me to see both sides of the whole operation, both planning and executing.”

The company’s drivers spend many hours preparing for convoy movements being conducted throughout Iraq. While on the road, the 15th Trans. Co. “Road Warriors” are routinely gone from days to weeks at a time until their mission is accomplished.

Before every convoy departs the COB, there is a lot of coordination that has to be done.

From paperwork and phone calls, to meeting with customers and preparing the vehicles for the loading process, OPS personnel are there coordinating everything necessary to achieve the most effective convoy movement for a safe, successful mission. So far, the company has completed a little less than 75 logistical support missions, resulting in more than 180,000 accident free miles driven throughout Iraq.

“You’d be surprised by the amount of coordination that has to be made before a single truck goes outside the wire,” said Spc. Derrick Barlow, dispatcher with the 15th Trans. Co., 110th CSSB, and a Brady, Texas, native.

OPS played an important role during the 2010 mission, providing transportation support during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. As the new year begins, 15th Trans. Co., 224th Sus. Bde. Soldiers have reached the halfway point of the deployment and continues to maintain focus to manage the missions rolling out across Iraq.

• Date Taken: 01.23.2011
• Date Posted: 01.23.2011 09:53
• Story ID: 64053
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ