Photo By Amabilia Payen | Soldiers from the 2215th Mobilization Support Battalion pose for their unit photo....... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT BLISS, Texas - It may take a village to raise a child, but it certainly takes a small Army, or a quality combination of mobilization support battalions, contractors and civilians to prepare an Army unit for deployments. The 2213th Mobilization Support Battalion, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, and the 2215th Mobilization Support Battalion, Fort Carson, Colorado, both Reserve units under the 2nd Mobilization Support Group, 85th Support Command, completed a mobilization here at Fort Bliss with the primary mission to assist in all phases of the mobilization and deployment of hundreds of National Guard and Reserve units.
The two units’ time here at Fort Bliss ran from March 20, 2014, when they came on orders and began their mission, through March 19, 2015, their release from active duty date.
“The year went very, very fast. The mission came off great, we didn’t have any problems with the mission,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dawn Lepinski, command sergeant major and mobilization noncommissioned officer in charge for the Soldier Resilience and Readiness Center, 2215th MSB. “I hope everybody keeps the camaraderie alive here at Fort Bliss. It’s a great team and it was great working with everybody.”
“The biggest mission that we had was taking care of the Soldiers,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Teresa Spagna, command sergeant major, 2213th MSB. “We were able to do the best for the Soldiers that are deploying, so that when they get out there they are not worried about ‘Do I have a good place to live? Do I have something good to eat? Do I have transportation?’ Our Soldiers were able to make sure that all of that was taken care of, so all the (mobilizing) Soldiers had to worry about was getting their training, making sure they were prepared to deploy.”
The two MSBs worked hand-in-hand to cover all aspects of Soldiers’ needs while mobilizing and demobilizing here at Fort Bliss. From administration to scheduling, medical to dental, billeting and supply, the MSBs ensured that all Soldiers coming and going through Fort Bliss had the tools and preparation in place for a successful mission.
“As a whole, we all worked great as a team. It was one fight. It wasn’t one MSB or another, it was we all work together as a team. And it’s a great pleasure to see that we are taking care of Soldiers. And, if Soldiers have any issues, we are able take care of the issues,” said Lepinski.
“To me, that is the greatest thing that each one of us can do. Just about everyone in the unit has been deployed at one time or another and in many cases more than once, so this is basically very dear to us. We want to make sure that the process for Soldiers that come to Fort Bliss is a good process,” said Spagna.
Lepinski was most proud of the improvements made at the SRRC.
“We did a lot of changes to (the SRRC) increasing the security by installing a metal detector, to putting in cement barriers around the building, along with coordinating active shooter exercises.”
Spagna mentioned some of the improvements made throughout Forward Operating Base Westbrook and McGregor Base Camp, New Mexico.
“Out at Westbrook they were able to make the place more compatible for the Soldiers. Same thing at McGregor, we were able to get some of the barracks cleaned up (and) spruced up; we did some painting (and) we made sure that the dining facility was running better for them.”
After a year of assisting other Soldiers, the 2213th and 2215th MSBs have completed the demobilization process themselves, leaving Fort Bliss with a soft spot for the role the installation serves for Reservists and Guardsmen.
“Fort Bliss is one of the premier platforms that we MOB and DEMOB Soldiers out of,” said Lepinski. “There are a lot of great people who work behind the scenes, from the civilians to the contractors to the Soldiers, who make sure that mobilizing and demobilizing Soldiers are taken care of. This is just a great place.”
| Date Taken: | 03.19.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.20.2015 14:24 |
| Story ID: | 157671 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Hometown: | FORT CARSON, CO, US |
| Hometown: | JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WA, US |
| Hometown: | TACOMA, WA, US |
| Web Views: | 617 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Two MSBs complete support mission, by Adam Holguin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT