314th CSSB assumes mission command

Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. Kevin McKenzie (right), commander of the 314th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, and Command Sgt. Maj. Mario Canizales, the senior enlisted advisor of the 314th CSSB, uncase the battalion colors during a transfer of authority ceremony in Iraq on Dec. 29, 2016. The 314th CSSB will provide area sustainment to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as divesture of the Iraq Train and Equip Fund to the Iraqi Army. Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve is a multinational effort to weaken and destroy Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant operations in the Middle East region and around the world. (U.S. Army courtesy photo)  

IRAQ

01.18.2017

Story by Sgt. Jeremy Bratt 

369th Sustainment Brigade

TAJI, IRAQ – The U.S. Army Reserve’s 314th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (CSSB), based out of Sloan, Nev., participated in a transfer of authority ceremony with the outgoing 336th CSSB, based out of Buckeye, Ariz. here, on Dec. 29, 2016.
The ceremony featured the casing of the 336th CSSB’s colors and the uncasing of the 314th CSSSB’s colors, signifying the changing of the guard, as the 314th officially assumed mission command.
“The uncasing our colors means the culmination of training and the official beginning of our mission here in Taji, Iraq making history for the 314th CSSB,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Mario Canizales, the 314th CSSB’s senior enlisted advisor.
“One of the biggest challenges was ensuring all our Soldiers were 100% deployable. We accomplished this by getting after all the pre-mob requirements prior to arriving at the mob station by conducting our Soldier Readiness Program (SRP) I and II, Military Medical Readiness Events (MMRE) and all required individual training,” he added.
The 314th CSSB will provide command and control of all assigned units, as well as, provide area sustainment to U.S. and coalition forces, as well as divesture of Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITEF) assets to the Iraqi Army.
“The 314th CSSB has one of the most challenging sustainment's missions in the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) area of responsibility. Its diverse mission and support to the warfighter through its forward logistics elements and ITEF divestiture is the key to the fight in Operation Inherent Resolve for our coalition partners,” said Col. Stephen Bousquet, commander of the 369th Sustainment Brigade, the 314th’s higher headquarters.
While the mission may be challenging, it is one that Lt. Col. Kevin McKenzie, commander of the 314th CSSB, feels they are ready to face.
“We are spread throughout a large geographical area and three countries. We will circulate throughout our different locations and meet with customer units to ensure we understand what they expect from us and ensure they know what we can do for them. Every location will have different challenges and it will be up to us to understand this and develop effective and efficient methods to provide support,” said McKenzie.
He added that, “Success will be to execute our higher command's intent and to satisfy our customer units’ expectations by meeting their logistical needs on time every time.”
Lt. Col. McKenzie, an Irvine, Calif. Resident, entered the U.S. Army in 1993 and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He attended the California State University at Sacramento where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in 1995 through the Reserve Officer Training Corps.
Command Sgt. Maj. Mario Canizales enlisted in the U.S, Army in 1986 and is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Trident University.

• Date Taken: 01.18.2017
• Date Posted: 01.18.2017 02:31
• Story ID: 220500
• Location: IQ
• Hometown: BUFFALO, NY, US
• Hometown: HARLEM, NY, US
• Hometown: IRVINE, CA, US
• Hometown: SLOAN, NV, US