Photo By Lt. Col. Margaret St. Pierre | Nebraska National Guardsmen of the 1013th Quartermaster Reserve Company, North Platte,...... read more read more
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SALINA, Kan. - A Soldier flopped down victoriously on top of a gigantic tent he had just finished folding – a small celebration over having accomplished a not-so-small task. First Platoon, 1013th Quartermaster Reserve Company, Nebraska National Guard, North Platte, Nebraska, was packing up to head home.
Led by 1st Lt. Tyler Plasencio, 13 Soldiers were about to head back to Nebraska after spending a week participating in Vigilant Guard 2014, a multi-agency large-scale, natural disaster, emergency preparedness exercise hosted by the Kansas National Guard in Salina, Kansas, Aug. 4-7, 2014.
Their mission? “We’re here to support,” said Plasencio.
Using a Laundry Advance System, he and his Soldiers provided laundry access and showers to fellow Soldiers participating in Vigilant Guard 2014.
“It’s a pretty impressive machine,” said Spc. Raymond Bringewatt, LADS operator.
He explained that the LADS recycles most of the water, so it ends up really only producing 20 gallons of wastewater per day. The two-time combat veteran has been working with the LADS for six years.
“I’ve nowhere near mastered it,” said Bringewatt. “I would say I’m proficient at it. And that’s taken me the whole six years.”
Bringewatt also holds two additional military occupational specialties: Mechanic (91J), and truck driver (88M), which gives him a unique and complimentary skill set.
He joked, “I can haul it to where it needs to go, once it gets there I can set it up, and if it breaks, I can fix it.”
Having served as a transportation officer before joining the 1013th Quartermaster Reserve Company last March, this was Plasencio’s first opportunity to participate in a LADS operation on this scale.
“There are a lot of moving parts,” said Plasencio. “It’s a small setup, but there are a lot of moving parts. It was a big learning experience for me – it’s certainly different [from a transportation unit], but this was a lot of fun. Coming out here with these guys has been great. It’s a bonding experience.”
When the unit returns home, they anticipate being called into action to utilize their newly polished skills by assisting local organizations like The Salvation Army.
“It’s a pretty young unit, so now they will have had hands-on experience, and they will get to bring what they learned here back to their peers at the unit and hopefully the knowledge will spread out, and as a whole, the company will become stronger,” said Plasencio.
He added that the unit didn’t hesitate when asked to extend the operating hours in an effort to accommodate all the Soldiers who were working late. And the long hours paid off - in the form of thank yous and barbecue invitations from grateful Soldiers.
“Sometimes it’s something that’s taken for granted, but not out here. It was definitely appreciated.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2014 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 138861 |
| Location: | SALINA, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, US |
| Hometown: | NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA, US |
| Hometown: | SALINA, KANSAS, US |
| Hometown: | TOPEKA, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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