Spreading holiday cheer is busy work

Photo By Capt. Joy Staab | Army Sgt. Jessica Simmons, left, mail clerk, and Spc. Stephen Minutolo, Multinational Battle Group East commanders' enlisted aide, help a customer take his well-traveled package from the postal center.  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO

12.12.2011

Story by Sgt. 1st Class James Wagner 

172nd Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo - The mail clerk is one of the most popular people to deployed soldiers, and at no time is that more true than during the Christmas holiday season - especially for soldiers from Multinational Battle Group East (MNBG E) deployed at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.

Kosovo Forces 15 (KFOR 15) arrived a few days before Thanksgiving in support of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. After approximately three months of mobilization training, mail from home is a welcome sight.

As expected, there is a lot of mail coming from family and friends, said Army Sgt. Jessica Simmons, a MNBG E mail clerk assigned to Task Force Falcon, the headquarters element of the battle group. The Macon, Ga., resident is responsible for sorting and processing mail for approximately 400 people in the battle group.

Simmons and her assistant, Pfc. Clinton Glenn, a driver and administrative specialist on loan from the Joint Implementation Commission section during the holiday mail surge, deftly maneuver through the cramped space available after a Monday delivery of packages.

For the two Georgia Army National Guard soldiers, it's their daily job to take the large stacks of mail that arrive and sort them by section and individual.

Despite being assigned to a hectic duty away from his assigned responsibilities, Glenn said he has enjoyed the work so far and the perks.

"I get to get my mail before anyone else without waiting," the Atlanta resident said with a laugh. "It keeps me busy, but being occupied is a good thing."

Mondays, according to Simmons, are the busiest day of the week; with the post office closed on Sundays, it means an extra day of accumulated mail. On this particular day, there were 41 pieces of accountable mail (i.e., insured, certified or registered mail requiring a signature) items and approximately 120 non-accountable items.

She said the record, currently held by KFOR 14 from last year, is 122 accountable items in one day. Since there is no official tally for non-accountable mail, there is no way to measure what the grand total might have been.

But, Simmons said, she expects to see her office get close to that amount before Christmas comes and goes, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Before being assigned to the postal detachment here, she was a signals support specialist with no prior experience in a post office.

"At first, I was scared [about the responsibility of the position]," she said, "but now I wouldn't trade it for anything."

• Date Taken: 12.12.2011
• Date Posted: 12.15.2011 05:48
• Story ID: 81413
• Location: CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ