Photo By Mary Barkley | Mark W. Akin, deputy to the 401st Army Field Support Brigade, and Command Sgt. Maj....... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait--Scores of Soldiers and Army civilians have deployed from Rock Island Arsenal and Army Sustainment Command since 2003 to support missions in Southwest Asia. The underlying reasons seem to be a desire to serve, a sense of adventure and a positive attitude.
Army Sustainment Command, located at Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois, missions include Lead Materiel Integrator for Army Materiel Command, Materiel Management, Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, Army Prepositioned Stocks, and Logistics Readiness Centers. ASC has personnel in locations around the world and many of them have stepped forward to volunteer to deploy for periods of six months to several years, with many making multiple deployments.
Several personnel are currently deployed to support 401st Army Field Support Brigade missions. Their reasons for deploying and their experiences are as varied as they are. Col. Eric S. Holliday, Quentin Rodriguez and Tina Schmall have a total of 14 deployments.
Holliday, from Blue Grass, Iowa, is on his eighth deployment as a Soldier and has one deployment as a Department of the Army civilian. In his current role as 401st Army Field Support Battalion chief of operations. Back home he is the ASC Chief for the Command Operations and Information Center.
“My job is to synchronize and coordinate the operations of the AFSB and our subordinate battalions with the mission support requirements for Operations Inherent Resolve, Freedom Sentinel and Operation Spartan Shield as well as, support to Task Force Sinai (Multi-National Forces Observer Group) and APS-5 sets,” he said of his current deployment.
He said he hopes this deployment “allows me to learn about how our AFSBs support the Combatant Commander's mission sets and that will help me better understand the COIC's role in supporting the AFSBs mission when I return to my civilian position.”
Quentin R. Rodriguez, from Moline, Illinois, has one deployment as a Soldier and is on his second civilian deployment. He is currently a logistics management specialist with the brigade theater property book section.
“My job is to track property accountability and unit/equipment set on-hand numbers throughout the theater,” he said. “I also track and conduct predictive analysis of on-hand equipment of the Army's fleets.”
His job at ASC is in the Logistics Analysis Branch where he tracks logistics programs and looks for redundancies to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness. He said the LAB also conducts predictive analysis on the Army's Fleet readiness, tracks unit readiness through their Army force generation cycle, and ensures that the Logistics Readiness Centers are properly work loaded.
“Deploying in support of our Soldiers is one of the most rewarding things a DOD civilian can do,” he said. I enjoy the opportunity to work with our Soldiers in forward locations where I can make a difference and hopefully be a part of what it takes to ensure their safe return home.”
“I would highly recommend that every DOD employee does at least one deployment,” he added.
Schmall, also from Moline, Illinois, is completing her fourth deployment and is currently the executive assistant for the Army Field Support Battalion-Kuwait commander.
“I was in Balad, Iraq in 2012 in the S1 office; Afghanistan 2012-2013 in the S1 mailroom, which was the happiest place to be in a warzone; and currently Kuwait as the executive assistant to the commander/TED [total employee development] administrator,” she said.
“I deployed to this job because I had never been in an executive assistant position before and wanted to learn about how a battalion is run and what is done in the front office,” she said. “I am really enjoying being in the middle of getting things done, working with numerous Soldiers while learning about the 401st AFSBn and … working in a hectic office when things need to be done yesterday! The feeling of being needed here is pretty good too!”
Recently Chief Warrant Officer 3 Paul Gatlin and Staff Sgt. Andrew Jenson deployed from ASC to provide training on the Lead Materiel Integrator Decision Support Tool that helps track property accountability and plan distribution and redistribution of equipment.
Most of the 401st brigade and battalion supply personnel took advantage of the training along with brigade theater property book personnel and other units at Camp Arifjan.
Although there is currently no attorney advisor deployed to 401st, five have deployed for various lengths of time with one deploying three times.
Scott Johnson, of Geneseo, Illinois, deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Kuwait. At ASC he works
primarily as an acquisition attorney on government contracts for Army Contracting Command - Rock Island. While deployed he advised brigade and battalion commanders on any legal issues that arose -civilian discipline and personnel actions, investigations, and ethics, liaison with higher headquarters on military justice issues, and providing legal assistance for brigade personnel.
“Deploying is absolutely beneficial from both a professional and personal standpoint,” he said. “Professionally, it helps make you more well-rounded, by exposing you to the operational mission of the Army. Personally, it teaches you how to adapt to change and work outside your comfort zone.”
All in all, personnel deploying from Army Sustainment Command and Rock Island Arsenal to support 401st AFSB are key players in mission success.
| Date Taken: | 05.17.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2016 11:51 |
| Story ID: | 198365 |
| Location: | KW |
| Hometown: | BLUE GRASS, IA, US |
| Hometown: | GENESEO, IL, US |
| Hometown: | MOLINE, IL, US |
| Web Views: | 402 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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