296th keeps brigade supplied and operational

MOSUL, IRAQ

06.16.2004

Courtesy Story

1-2 SBCT, 7th Infantry Division

By Spc. Aaron Ritter

MOSUL, Iraq -- Every unit has a critical part in the Army's overall mission, but for the "Arrowhead" Brigade the responsibility of keeping units operational is the primary function of the 296th Brigade Support Battalion. Whether it is medical, logistical or recreational, the 296th BSB has it covered.

For the 296th BSB, headquartered at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul, their deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II has tested the battalion's ability to adapt to the Army's changing force structure.

The 296th BSB is responsible for providing combat service and health support to the Army's first Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, said Lt. Col. Dennis M. Thompson, 296th BSB commander.

"The Frontline Soldiers are aware of our place in time as we support the Army's first Stryker Brigade and lead the Army's current efforts to forge new concepts and procedures of supporting warriors on today's and tomorrow's battlefields," Thompson said.The BSB is comprised of four companies, each of which have a very special and unique role to play in keeping the 6,000 Soldiers of the Stryker Brigade, mission ready and battle-focused.

The Headquarter and Headquarters Company contains all of the staff elements and oversees the BSB's support operations, to include managing logistical convoys, providing field-feeding teams for each battalion and managing FOB Marez's Morale, Welfare and Recreation activities. Soldiers of the HHC also oversee force protection and local national laborers at FOB Marez.

Sgt. First Class Shannon Frey, HHC first sergeant, said these functions are crucial to the success of the brigade and to the morale of Soldiers.

"Without us, the brigade would not be able to shoot, move or communicate, which is our basic Soldier mission," he said. "The coordination alone in providing these services is a 24-hour a day job and it keeps the company busy.

"Frey said that the HHC serves as the bridge between the war fighters and the logistics support encompassing all classes of supply and transportation, providing the means of delivery of supplies to the other companies in the brigade.

This requires the company to have the ability to adapt to change.

"We have had to do some things differently as far as the support role in ordering and receiving supplies and how they are shipped and tracked from start to finish," he said. "We have had to transition to a faster moving battlefield as far as the Stryker Brigade goes. It is a more mobile one.

"Currently, the HHC is working to improve the living conditions of Soldiers" quarters, as well as refurbishing dilapidated Iraqi buildings for use by both Coalition forces and the Iraqi armed forces.

However, the Soldiers of HHC and other brigade elements cannot reconstruct or refurbish anything without the right supplies at the right time.The job of getting the right supplies to the right place at the right time falls upon the Soldiers of the Distribution Company. Serving as the Brigade's supply hub, the DC separates, organizes and transports items such as water, food, fuel, ammunition, building materials and replacement parts.

"I consider them the Clydesdales of the brigade," Thompson said. "They are the guys that are on the road everyday, pushing supplies out to where the units are.

"Supply sergeants submit requests, which are sent through channels to acquire the supplies. Once the orders are filled in the Supply-Support Activity warehouse, the supplies are segregated into battalion bins for daily delivery. In an effort to meet the demands of the Brigade's mission, the Soldiers of the DC are able to expedite the supply process with help from local Iraqis.

"The BSB has a labor force of local nationals we work hand-in-hand with everyday. This provides them with work and also helps us complete our mission," Thompson said.

The DC has vehicles and Soldiers on the road seven days a week, as they move supplies all over the Stryker's area of responsibility. They rely solely on their vehicles to make their mission successful. A vehicle that doesn't run means some battalion out in the field may not be able to complete their mission.

To keep their vehicles on the road, the Soldiers of the DC turn to the maintenance support center. The MSC for the brigade is the Forward Maintenance Company, which provides engineer support, armored support and service and recovery operations.

Capt. Pate Fresh, FMC commander, said that their unit is called "forward" because it is the only source of official maintenance support in the brigade. The FMC has five Combat Repair Teams throughout the brigade area of operation. The 20-member teams provide day-to-day, on the ground support to other battalions in the field. Depending upon each day's missions, CRTs work on an estimated 20 vehicles a day.

"We now work what is called field level maintenance because the CRTs have the same capabilities as the rest of the company," Pate said.

The FMC consists of four sections, each with a specialized mission. The Wheeled-Vehicle Section conducts maintenance on the nearly 1,900 pieces of rolling brigade stock including 300 Stryker vehicles. It is also responsible for recovering broken equipment and returning it to the bay shops at the forward operating bases.The Electrical and Missile Systems Section maintains and repairs radio systems, night vision devices, Tow Missile systems and nuclear, biological and chemical equipment.

The Armor Repair Section works on small arms and Howitzers, while the Engineer Section repairs tracked vehicles, excavation, construction and other engineering equipment. Since maintenance for the Stryker combat vehicles is still contracted out to civilian manufacturers, many of the BSB's nearly 125 contractors and DA civilians are embedded with the CRTs. "The Strykers are a specialized piece of equipment, still new to the Army," Fresh said. "These specialists work specifically on the Stryker, which allows a little more in-depth knowledge of the vehicle while they continue to provide assistance and on-the-job training to the Soldiers.

"While vehicles and equipment are kept in good working condition, without Soldiers in good working condition, the mission would not be successful.

It is the responsibility of the Brigade Support Medical Company to serve as the first line of care for the Stryker Brigade Soldiers. The medical center is able to treat basic trauma injuries and sees 40 patients during an average day."Medical support is imperative to the success of every unit and our job is to conserve the fighting strength," said 1st Lt. Cara McLean, BSMC(-) detachment commander.

"We minimize the amount of time each Soldier requiring care is away from the fight."With the BSMC conducting split operations between Tal Afar and FOB Marez, McLean said it's a challenge to execute the same mission with fewer Soldiers in each location but the Soldiers and leadership maintain a positive attitude as they continue to provide medical and evacuation support. Firsts in the Stryker Brigade range from fielding the first Stryker vehicle to being the first brigade to deploy a physical therapist and mental health specialist. Both physical therapy and mental health services are available at each FOB on a rotating basis, based on demand for services."Since we are the first brigade to offer these services, we like to think we have the most forward physical therapist and mental health specialist in the Army," said Capt. Scott Trapman, 296th BSB surgeon.

Capt. Terry Martinez, the 296th mental health specialist, said having these services is a real benefit to the Soldiers working in a combat environment. "If these services were not offered here, Soldiers needing help would likely be evacuated to another facility outside of Iraq, where it could be weeks or months before they were returned to duty," he said.

"We want to treat our Soldiers as close to the fight as possible and to help the Soldier normalize his or her feelings. "As the "Arrowhead" Brigade continues to rebuild Iraq's infrastructure, the 296th BSB Soldiers will make every effort to meet the Brigade needs, accomplishing its mission by providing combat service and health support.

"The work we do for the brigade enables them to focus on returning the security and self-governance to the Iraqi people. Our mission helps accomplish the Army's overall mission in Iraq," Thompson said.

• Date Taken: 06.16.2004
• Date Posted: 06.16.2004 10:26
• Story ID: 15
• Location: MOSUL, IQ