CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait - More than 240 Pittsburgh-based Army Reserve soldiers of the 316th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) arrived here, July 1, to begin their unit's second overseas deployment.
Their mission is to have command and control over all supply and logistics operations in the Middle East.
"It's important for the people back home to know that their Soldiers are excited to be here and they've arrived safely, and I think they are going to do a great job and we'll try to keep everyone informed of our progress and everything we've achieved going forward,” Brig. Gen. Bud R. Jameson, Jr. the 316th’s commanding general said.
Jameson oversees almost 4,000 soldiers, combining troops from the Army Reserve, active Army, and Army National Guard.
The 316th ESC, also known as Task Force Steel, is from Coraopolis, Penn. TF Steel is made up of more than 240 soldiers from 27 states, including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, coming together to form a team.
Before the 316th’s soldiers stepped foot in Kuwait, they trained all over the United States. The unit’s soldiers had an exercise at Fort Dix, N.J., where they learned how to operate the logistics systems they would use in theater.
The 316th then traveled almost 3,000 miles to Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif. There they refreshed their warrior task skills such as basic rifle marksmanship, rendering first aid and basic army combative at the Regional Training Center–West. TF Steel’s next stop was Fort Hood, Texas, where it conducted sustainment operations exercises to get ready for the mission in Kuwait.
The 316th will be in Kuwait until early 2013.