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By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Leona Mynes
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - It was July 18, a regularly-scheduled drill day at Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Salt Lake City, when Chief Master-at-Arms David Brinkerhoff, from Bicknell, Utah, got word from his commanding officer that Navy Region Southeast (NRSE) needed him.
He was on a plane to southeast Tennessee 36 hours later.
He was one of 12 Reserve Sailors who joined NRSE’s Restoration Response Team (RRT), which was activated after the July 16 attack at NOSC Chattanooga that took the lives of four Marines and a Sailor.
“I was given 30 minutes to decide if I would go, and here I am,” he said. “I am here to support whatever the need is.”
“Brinkerhoff and other RRT members are supporting a multifaceted mission,” said Lt. Robert Tighe, officer in charge of RRT in Chattanooga.
As RRT mobilized, Tighe, a civilian base operations officer at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Georgia, knew the security efforts around the reserve center would take immediate priority.
“We had to stabilize the reserve center from a security perspective, as its physical security was compromised during the attack,” Tighe said. “We built a security team to vet any and all personnel entering the NOSC and established a security posture to fortify the entrance to that facility by standing watches and escorting personnel through the building.”
After security measures were in place, Tighe and his team took on restoration efforts.
This included assisting NOSC staff during their temporary relocation to the Tennessee Air National Guard building as repairs are planned and made by Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC).
“We have civilian state troopers, deputy sheriffs, corrections personnel and security managers on our RRT,” Tighe said. “What is amazing to me is that all these personnel arranged with their civilian employers and families, grabbed a go-bag, and came out here to work within two days.”
“The hectic 48-hour window in which RRT members received orders, planned travel, and arranged an indefinite absence from their families and civilian employers was worth the effort,” said Senior Chief Logistics Specialist Tad Strong.
“It was my duty to be here,” Strong said. “Part of our job is supporting critical incidents like this. We have brothers and sisters in the Navy and Marine Corps family and the whole community that need our support.”
RRT members also liaised with local and state law enforcement to provide law enforcement presence at the funerals and grand memorial, planned for Aug. 15.
“As law enforcement officers in the civilian world, they’re bringing their talent, professionalism, and law enforcement mindset to the Navy,” Tighe said. “It simply enhances the mission and makes for a great security mindset and the ability for us to be successful.”
Brinkerhoff, a Utah state trooper, serves his community as the only state trooper for five counties. He said his experience in service to his community, when translated to his role as a Reserve Sailor, is an important supporting factor to the mission of RRT.
“I know the intricacies of how law enforcement agencies work, and so I am able to communicate with them on a standpoint of familiarity and on common ground,” Brinkerhoff said. “We are able to overcome the jargon barriers that someone unfamiliar with law enforcement might have.”
Master Chief Master-at-Arms Bodie D’Andrea, the assistant officer in charge of RRT, is a deputy sheriff in Pinellas County, Florida.
“Being a civilian law enforcement officer and a Navy master-at-arms has helped me bridge the gap and given me a common bond with the local and state police,” D’Andrea said. “In addition to law enforcement, I have eight years of experience as a Seabee, so I understand and can work with the NAVFAC side of the house as well.”
Restoration efforts will continue beyond RRT’s stay in Chattanooga, Tighe said.
“We’re building a long-range plan for restoration and recovery,” Tighe said. “The coordination with every entity – Marines, Navy, active duty, reserve – has been phenomenal and seamless. It is a one-team concept across the board.”
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2015 12:24 |
| Story ID: | 172924 |
| Location: | CHATTANOOGA, TN, US |
| Hometown: | BICKNELL, UT, US |
| Web Views: | 198 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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