Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Dalton Smith | The 430th Quartermaster Company, a shower/laundry and clothing repair unit based out...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – Two laundry trailers, two 12-person shower units and thousands of gallons of water will be used by the 430th Quartermaster Company for the 2014 Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise (QLLEX), operationally controlled by the 633rd Quartermaster Battalion here, June 9.
The shower/laundry and clothing repair specialists with the 430th QM Co., based out of Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, have set up their Laundry Advanced Systems (LADS) and shower tents to provide cleaning services for over 1,100 Soldiers, Marines and Sailors of QLLEX.
“These services we offer are like nothing else the Army can provide, like food or bullets,” said Pvt. Shylene Jerez, a shower/laundry and clothing repair specialist with the 430th QM Co. “We have to do this all on our own to help serve Soldiers every day.”
The LADS washes and dries all military-style clothing and sleeping bags. The 430th QM Co. will only be using one of their LADS for QLLEX, supplying clean clothing with a 24-hour turnaround time for all the servicemembers in the exercise. By recycling the same 200 gallons of water all day, provided by the 301st Quartermaster Company approximately one mile away, they reduce the constant need of a fresh water source.
Sgt. 1st Class Ernesto Correa, a shower/laundry and clothing repair specialist with the 430th QM Co., said the standard for returning clean clothing is 48 hours, but their unit tries to return clothing within 24 hours of drop off.
“The service of providing hot showers and clean clothing is a key motivator for most Soldiers,” said Correa. “Every time someone comes out of the shower refreshed and they thank me, I feel highly appreciated and know my job has a great meaning behind it.”
“A Soldier who has been out in the field for two weeks would love to have a hot shower and clean clothes,” said Correa. “We try to give them high morale with these services.”
The 430th QM Co. will also be using their two 12-person shower units. Showers open at 5:00 a.m. and close anywhere from 9:30 to 10:00 p.m. Jerez said the showers stay open so late because officers arrive late after leaving late-night training meetings. Females go first for the first hour and the males go after taking up the reminder of the time.
“We all need to feel comfortable with working with other troops from different units,” said Pvt. Eduardo Figueroa, a shower/laundry and clothing repair specialist with the 430th QM Co. “We will be placing one young Soldier with one experienced Soldier.”
The 430th QM Co. will be having their younger, less experienced Soldiers working with the more seasoned Soldiers. Figueroa said the newer Soldiers would be able to refresh the others on all the core skills and new techniques, while the seasoned Soldiers will teach the tricks of the trade. Service members will be using the 430th QM Co. as their sole source for laundry and showers for the two weeks of training.
“Some of our Soldiers do not have enough experience being straight out of job training,” said Correa. “QLLEX is the best way, with the extreme weather and large amount of Soldiers, for us to train them.”
| Date Taken: | 06.10.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.10.2014 11:27 |
| Story ID: | 132664 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | CATANO, PR |
| Hometown: | HATO REY, PR |
| Hometown: | MONACILLO, PR |
| Hometown: | PALMAS, PR |
| Hometown: | FORT LIBERTY, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 199 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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