Photo By 1st Sgt. Duff E. McFadden | It's business as usual for Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Aguirre, 33, a Joint Forces...... read more read more
JOHNSTON, Iowa - Army supply and logistics is not for the faint of heart. Once supply or logistics personnel receive, inventory, store, and issue supplies and equipment, they also have to maintain an automated supply system that accounts for all those items.
They also ensure millions of dollars of supply flows freely, smoothly, and most importantly, accurately, throughout their organization.
However, when it comes to supply and logistics, Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ) Soldiers can readily depend on Sgt. 1st Class Harold G. Tackett, 51, Senior Supply Sergeant, of Runnells, Iowa, and Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Aguirre, 33, Supply Sergeant, of Altoona.
These two Soldiers manage the day-to-day logistical support for the Iowa National Guard’s JFHQ, United States Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO), Warehouse 12, Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), Education Office, Identification Card Section, the U.S. Army Operation Support Airlift Command (OSACOM) and 671st Troop Command.
Within JFHQ alone, they service nearly 300 Soldiers, 54 percent of whom are officers. All told, this Camp Dodge duo is ultimately responsible for more than $21 million worth of equipment and supplies.
Recently, they were presented the regional Chief of Staff, Army, Supply Excellence Award (SEA), which recognizes supply excellence at the organizational level.
“It’s validation that we’re good at what we do,” Tackett said. “We’ve won the regional competition, after going up against seven other states. Now we go on to the national level.”
While recognition is always nice, their biggest impact is in servicing Soldiers through the day-to-day operations of a fluid, functioning, logistics system.
Need examples?
JFHQ received 93,000 items from the Defense Reutilization Management Office, worth approximately $840,000. Those items were then re-issued to units throughout the state, making a huge impact on spending, while putting the equipment to good use. They’ve scored 100 percent on their Physical Security Inspections over the last two years, as well as on their Command Supply Discipline Program.
According to Tackett, if there’s any one key to running a successful supply operation, it would have to be organization.
“To be successful, you have to be well organized. You have to be on top of all your suspense’s and you have to answer all your service calls. Your semi-annual key inventory must be done, as well as your clothing validation.
“You have to be really, really, organized in supply,” he added. “If you’re not organized, you’ll have nothing but chaos. You simply have to pay attention to detail on a daily basis.”
Tackett’s been involved with supply throughout his entire military career, beginning with his first Active Duty Army assignment in Okinawa, Japan. After leaving the U.S. Army in 1992, he joined the Iowa Army National Guard the very next day. A native Ohioan, his wife’s family lived near Mason City.
A 22-year Iowa National Guard member, as well as serving in the Active Duty Army for 11 years, Tackett has seen or done just about everything when it comes to supply.
“We’re simply doing our job and adhering to the standards set forth by Army and National Guard regulations. There are too many young supply sergeants today, who have been suddenly thrust into new jobs and left to fend for themselves. They need to have mentoring sessions.
“You have to mentor junior logisticians on how to do their job and how to do it proficiently. Once you get the basics down, it’s easy,” he said.
One such Soldier is Tackett’s right-hand man. A 14-year Iowa National Guard veteran, Aquirre has been a member of the JFHQ supply team since July, when his position moved from the 671st Troop Command and was incorporated with JFHQ.
Aguirre joined the Iowa National Guard in 2001, during his senior year at Ankeny High School. He originally served as a supply technician with the 186th Military Police and then became a supply sergeant for the 671st Troop Command. He began looking into a full-time, Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) position, so he reclassified into the Unit Supply Specialist (92Y) field.
In July, he volunteered to move to Joint Forces Headquarters to assist JFHQ with supply issues. After all, he figured, helping JFHQ with their supply issues would help him with his unit-specific issues.
“Sgt. Tackett knows everything there is to know about supply,” Aquirre said. “Anything I can learn from him definitely helps me. He mentors me, he gives me advice, he answers any and all of my questions.
For them, there are no such thing as a “typical work day.” An automated property book problem may arise, just as easily as a supply, repair, protocol, or purchasing issue. They may have to support the Command Retreat one day, prepare weapons and ammunition for the qualification range the next, while getting ready for the Iowa State Fair Military Day parade.
While having only two supply personnel servicing so many units can provide unique supply challenges, Tackett is confident he and Aquirre are up to the task.
“While a normal unit usually has three full-time people providing support for fewer people, here there are two Soldiers, who have a lot of people to support on a daily basis.
“Daniel can do everything I can do, from credit card purchases for local purchases, to dispatching out a vehicle. I’m in charge ultimately and I oversee everything that comes in and out. Between the two of us, we provide a much better customer service.”
According to Aquirre, the best part of their job is, “Taking care of the people, Soldiers, customers and outside organizations we assist. We help with the Rerserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) loan agreements with the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa. We also support the Recruiting and Retention Branch with the Recruit Sustainment Program.
In fact, Aquirre said, their work load can be pretty challenging,
“It’s pretty amazing how much stuff gets accomplished during the week in order to get ready for a drill weekend. You have to be really fluent in multi-tasking and in working under pressure,” he said.
The easiest part of the day, Tackett concludes, is coming to work. “It’s what happens when you get here,” he said with a laugh.
The Chief of Staff, Army, Supply Excellence Award Program was conceived during the Total Army Worldwide Supply Conference held in November 1984. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics tasked the U.S. Army Quartermaster School to assist in developing an award program, similar to the Phillip A. Connelly Award (Subsistence) and the Chief of Staff, Army, Maintenance Excellence Award Programs., that would recognize supply excellence at the various unit and organizational levels.
Highlighting the critical role sustainers play in supporting the warfighter, its purpose is four-fold: It increases the logistical readiness of all Army units; Enforces the Command Supply Discipline Program; Encourages the use of available resources; and provides a structure for recognition of units, organizations and individual Soldiers.
Evaluators inspect and grade units in various areas of supply operations, to include unit standard operating procedures, records management, financial data accuracy and inventory accountability.
| Date Taken: | 12.29.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2015 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 185463 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IA, US |
| Hometown: | ALTOONA, IA, US |
| Hometown: | RUNNELLS, IA, US |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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