GhostRiders hone skills with visit to local post office

Photo By Spc. Rochelle Prince-Krueger | Debra Davis, (right) the postmaster for Hinesville, Ga., Post Office, walks the Soldiers of 90th Human Resources Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, behind the Hinesville Post Office counter to see how it is operated on their onsite visit Dec. 8.  

HINESVILLE, GA, UNITED STATES

12.08.2015

Story by Spc. Rochelle Prince-Krueger 

3rd Division Sustainment Brigade

It’s not every day that someone sees a bunch of Soldiers behind the counter at the local United States Post Office. However, that was the sight that greeted customers of the Hinesville, Georgia, Post Office when about 25 Soldiers assigned to 90th Human Resources Company, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade visited on Dec. 8.

“Our company has gained a postal platoon to our [manning roster] so we want the Soldiers to learn more in-depth about the mail delivery systems,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Greg Weishaar, a Human Resources Technician assigned to 90th HR Company. “With our new postal platoon it means that we could assume any postal role while deployed, such as Army Post Offices or Military Mail Terminals.”

There are a few ways to get parcels and letters when deployed. DHL, FedEx and USPS are the three main ways that deployed Soldiers are able to send and receive mail. The USPS is the main source of postal delivery for deployed Soldiers.

“We don’t get many more letters during the holidays, but we do get a lot more parcels during that time,” said Debra Davis, the Hinesville Post Master. “There is a spike of about four times as many parcels during the holiday season.

Weishaar emphasized the importance of understanding the role the USPS plays with supporting the military postal system.

“The USPS handles all of the postal operations in the United States until it gets to a military mail terminal where the DoD takes over,” said Weishaar. “The USPS provides the boxes, equipment, metering scales and the point of sale machines that we use while in a deployed environment.”

Almost all of the Soldiers learned something new about the mail system. As Human Resource Specialists, some Soldiers have the opportunity to obtain an additional skill identifier of F5, also called Fox-5 where they attend a class for a certification to work and run an APO and MMT. Many of the GhostRiders have already attended the class and they are rotating the incoming Soldiers into the course as well to ensure everyone gets certified.

“I was surprised at how much work and detail goes into getting a piece of mail from point A to point B,” said Spc. Caleab Heller, assigned to 90th HR Company. “It was a great opportunity for us to learn because we don’t want to make a small mistake because it could turn into something big.”

Weishaar agreed with Heller, “The amount of detail is key for a job dealing with postal operations.

“The information is perishable, especially if you don’t use it daily,” said Weishaar. “We owe it to the Soldiers down-range; no matter where the Soldier is in a remote location they deserve to get their mail.”

Weishaar also said they will be going back to keep refreshing their knowledge and skills.

• Date Taken: 12.08.2015
• Date Posted: 12.15.2015 11:35
• Story ID: 184577
• Location: HINESVILLE, GA, US
• Hometown: FORT STEWART, GA, US
• Hometown: HINESVILLE, GA, US