Photo By Cpl. Tyler Barstow | Sgt. Brady M. Burr, the day watch chief at the 1st Supply Battalion (Reinforced)...... read more read more
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By Cpl. Tyler B. Barstow
1st Marine Logistics Group
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq - Managing the logistical movements for al-Anbar is a complicated ordeal, but condensing the monitoring and planning of all these moving parts into one single room, is almost unheard of.
All the pieces manage to come together and help 1st Supply Battalion (Reinforced) Combat Logistics Operation Center run like clockwork as they plan and track the movement of their supplies and Marines.
"I'm fortunate that they're competent and mission oriented," said 1st Lt. Emmaline J. Madison, about the Marines that work for her around the clock at the CLOC.
The CLOC is the behind-the-scenes operation of all the troop and supply movement for the battalion. They aren't loading the supplies or shipping out the troops, but they handle all of the requests, planning, coordination and tracking. And this all takes place under one roof by a few hard-charging individuals, striving to make the CLOC run like an efficient machine.
The CLOC is broken down into two parts: the Unit Movement Control Center Marines, who respond to requests, and Marines that work on the watch side of the house, tracking the request's progress. Both components play vital roles in connecting the forces outside the wire to those inside, and they manage to do so working only a few feet apart.
The CLOC has Marines from all over the battalion working side-by-side, providing their knowledge of different companies, explained Staff Sgt. Ijiran M. Bambao, the liaison for Transportation Support Company.
As a liaison, Bambao helps the rest of the UMCC manage requests. A variety of things can come into their section; all requests for supplies, equipment needing moved, or any other logistical movement goes to the UMCC. This helps provide the elements away from base the necessities they need.
"They don't have privileges or assets like we do," said Sgt. Francine K. Vasquez, the UMCC Chief. "We push water and supplies to help make life a little easier," said Vasquez, from Miramar, Fla.
The planning, scheduling, and choreographing is the key to the UMCC's mission. Once they dictate who will take care of the situation and when, the watch will then help track the progress.
Using a variety of new programs to track the movement, the watch reports to unit commanders and ensures everything is going as planned.
From Fallujah and Ramadi to Al Asad and anywhere in between, the watch will monitor their progress of troop or cargo movements using new tracking systems.
All the cargo being shipped out is equipped with a Radio Frequency Identification tag. These tags are scanned at various locations along their route and their location is sent back to the CLOC to show Sgt. Patrick M. Destefan their location.
Destefan, the Battle Command Sustainment System Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, reports the progress of all their shipments back to the command to let them know their location and whether they are on their schedule.
"(We deliver) everything they would need," explained the Longmont, Colo., native. They ship anything from pens to plywood out to Marines wherever they are.
Ground convoys travel anywhere throughout the area of operations, delivering these supplies to the troops. Air assets also help move people or supplies to their required destination, and all of their movements are observed by the watch section.
"It's gotten a lot easier," said Cpl. Eliza R. Valle, a day watch clerk at the CLOC. "It's consistent and we know how everything goes from day to day."
The high stress of their job has been diminished, thanks to their familiarity with the systems, each other and the ability to complete tasks outside of their comfort zones.
"We let the Marines on the ground know that we're taking care of them," explained Madison, from Healy, Alaska. "We keep it calm to make level-headed decisions."
Working as the "behind-the-scenes" crew provides them a unique opportunity to learn and take part in how things work.
"We're the middle link and we get to see it all come together," said Sgt. Brady M. Burr, the day watch chief with the CLOC. "It's good to see the mission accomplished."
| Date Taken: | 06.09.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 06.16.2008 12:08 |
| Story ID: | 20522 |
| Location: | AL TAQADDUM, IQ |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 70 |
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