Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters, Jr. (right), the commander of the 13th Sustainment...... read more read more
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KILLEEN, Texas - The commander of Fort Hood’s 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) spoke at the Killeen Heights Rotary Club breakfast, March 8.
Brig. Gen. Clark W. LeMasters Jr. talked about the unit’s recent deployment, expanding on the logistics training mission and surprising things he and his soldiers learned while in Afghanistan.
LeMasters set the stage by playing a short video about his unit’s recent deployment while explaining about the country, standards of living and experiences the 13th ESC had during its mission.
Deploying to Afghanistan and performing the mission as the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan deputy commander for support operations “was one of the most rewarding things I ever did in my career,” said LeMasters.
He added that he still stays in touch with the personnel who replaced the 13th SC(E) to see how things are going with the projects and the mission.
During his speech, LeMasters described the mission of the 13th SC(E) as part of NTM-A and how the 152 members of the unit integrated into NTM-A performing duties for DCOM-SPO formed into six Logistics Train and Assist Teams. He also described the challenges of establishing a national-level logistics system and how the members of DCOM-SPO worked with both the Afghan National Army and Police from the local to the national level to establish logistics functions to enable the army and police to become self-sufficient.
“We dealt with things that I never imagined would be in our mission,” LeMasters described. “Basic literacy and computer skills, that we take for granted, became very important to establishing logistics systems.”
LeMasters also expressed pride in his soldiers’ accomplishments and mental toughness.
“As you know, they experienced two tragic events last February and March. The soldiers continued to march and did not miss a beat, staying focused the entire time. They took care of each other and did a great job,” he said.
“I was impressed by the abilities of our soldiers to take on this very diverse mission,” LeMasters said.
Soldiers of the 13th SC(E) had the chance to work with every service of the U.S. armed forces, contractors, Department of Defense Civilians and with members the 28 troop-contribution nations.
“Our soldiers became very comfortable with working with the joint and combined team, and I believe if you asked our soldiers, they would all tell you how impressed they were with the commitment of the coalition members to this difficult mission,” LeMasters stated. “Sure the U.S. provided much of the funding and troops, but the coalition was absolutely committed to every aspect of the mission.”
The commander finished by thanking the club and the community for their support to the families of deployed service members and offered his and 13th SC(E)’s assistance to the club.
Upon completion of his speech, club members had the opportunity to ask him questions. Some wanted to know about logistics training challenges, or asked about the poppy eradication. One club member wanted to know if LeMasters has seen any signs of polio drops or immunizations being administered, since the complete eradication of polio is one of the goals Rotary International works towards.
The audience seemed very engaged during the speech and the questions and answers session.
“It was excellent,” said Shawn Trainum, Killeen Heights Rotary Club member and general manager of Fairfield Inn and Suites and TownePlace Suites by Marriott in Killeen, who has been a longtime supporter of the military and military families. “I feel patriotic about supporting the military.”
“I have been wondering how things are going in Afghanistan, it was fantastic to get an update,” Trainum said. He also explained how he did not realize the magnitude of the international involvement in Afghanistan. “We are not alone in our mission over there.”
Trainum said he thinks the relationship between the military and the surrounding communities is excellent, although this is all he ever knew having lived his whole life in Killeen.
When asked what other topics would he like to hear about from military representatives from Fort Hood, he said the following: “Right now the big thing is the budget. Whatever someone could tell us about the budget cuts that would be great. Already with the draw down in Iraq our businesses slowed down. There is always an economic impact of everything,” he said.
Trainum all in all enjoyed having someone talk to the club from Fort Hood. “It is interesting to see things on the news but it is better to hear it from somebody in person,” said Trainum in conclusion.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.18.2013 16:50 |
| Story ID: | 103688 |
| Location: | KILLEEN, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 155 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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