Reserve Quartermasters keep Canadian military exercise rolling

Photo By Sgt. David Turner | Sergeant James Rivera, a petroleum supply specialist with the 900th Quartermaster Company, El Paso, Texas, prepares a tanker for operations during Exercise Maple Resolve 16 at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, Alberta, May 28. About 90 members of the Reserve unit are supplying fuel to Soldiers of several countries participating in the exercise, the Canadian Army’s capstone event, which prepares Canadians soldiers for qualifying as a high-readiness brigade. Maple Resolve, continuing through June 4, fosters partnership between Canada and its NATO partners, as well as improving interoperability between forces. (U.S. Army Reserve photo by Sgt. David Turner, 214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)  

EL PASO, TX, UNITED STATES

05.30.2016

Story by Sgt. David Turner 

214th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CANADIAN FORCES BASE WAINWRIGHT, Alberta – For Sgt.1st Class Jose Maciel, leaving his home in Texas for two weeks of training on the western Canadian prairie in late spring isn’t exactly a hardship.
“It’s nice. I like the weather, better than back in El Paso,” said Maciel, a native of Fort Bliss, Texas. As a fueler, past missions have taken him to locales with less moderate temperatures, such as Saudi Arabia.
Participating in Exercise Maple Resolve 16 at CFB Wainwright, is a welcome change, he said, for himself and the other 90 members of the 900th Quartermaster Company, a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in El Paso, Texas.
The surroundings are nice, he said, but he also appreciates the service members they get to work with at CFB Wainwright.
“What surprised me the most is that they are so friendly, said Maciel. “We didn’t really know what we were coming into.”
As part of the Canadian Army’s only brigade-level validation exercise, the 900th QM Co. is fulfilling a vital mission by supplying fuel to more than 5,000 troops inside the training areas, as well as operating a fuel farm to supply vehicles outside of “the box.”
Since theirs is a mobile operation, the fuel is stored and dispensed from enormous bladders, or “bags,” each holding up to 23,000 gallons of fuel. They work long hours, in two shifts, to get the job done. But thanks to the precise coordination and partnership with their Canadian counterparts, it runs as smoothly as possible.
“A lot of their equipment is similar to ours,” said Maciel. “With our farm system, for instance, we’re using their bags, so it all works together. We’re adapting to their way of working, they’re adapting to us. We’re all working together.”
“The way you train is the way you fight, so it’s good that we interact with them and we learn their equipment,” he added.
Cpt. Sean Hightower, the company’s commander, was equally impressed.
“My favorite part of the exercise has been watching the interaction between the different armies, and how effortlessly it was for us to come together and make the mission work,” said Hightower.
“It’s been a great experience,” he said. “We’ve established a good relationship with the Canadian forces – nothing but positive feedback.”

• Date Taken: 05.30.2016
• Date Posted: 06.01.2016 15:08
• Story ID: 199672
• Location: EL PASO, TX, US