Forward Support Companies Provide Fuel, Food, and Maintenance

Photo By 1st Lt. Curtis Wright | Soldiers of the Forward Support Company, 122nd Eng. Bn. pump used oil into proper containers for storage and removal at Joint National Training Center, Cincu, Romania, as participants of Resolute Castle 17. Resolute Castle 17 is an exercise strengthening the NATO alliance and enhancing its capacity for joint training and response to threats within the region.  

CINCU, ROMANIA

05.17.2017

Story by 1st Lt. Curtis Wright 

926th Engineer Brigade

From their arrival at Joint National Training Center, Cincu, Romania, the Forward Support Companies of the 122nd Eng. Bn., South Carolina National Guard, and the 926th Eng. Bn., United States Army Reserves, combined to provide fuel, food, and vehicle support for Resolute Castle 2017.
The FSC is tasked with sustaining the Soldiers and vehicles of Resolute Castle 17, feeding more than 200 Soldiers twice a day and providing fuelers to supply the construction vehicles.
“Each vehicle burns about 100 gallons of fuel per day,” said 1st Lt. Jennifer Dallis of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Commander of FSC, 926th Eng. FSC. The FSC maintains vehicles, such as dump trucks, HMMWV’s, front end loaders, rollers, and graders.
“Diagnosing vehicle faults early to manage issues proactively” is the best way to keep the mission advancing, according to 1st Lt. Edward Rivers of Lexington, SC, Commander of FSC, 122nd Eng. Bn.
Romanian weather and terrain have been tough on construction vehicle tires and critical parts. The engineering vehicles haul and push 1,000 metric tons of aggregate a day for roads and live-fire tank lanes. When vehicles bog down in the mud formed from heavy rains, the FSC uses their wreckers to extract them. Recovery assets must respond quickly in order to keep the mission advancing.
To respond in a timely manner, the FSC set up two maintenance rally points in locations central to mission operations. One is a maintenance tent used for vehicle repairs. The other uses cement-block sheds for storage of supplies and excess materials.
When a vehicle issue arises, FSC Soldiers bring the vehicle to the nearest maintenance rally point, either under its own power or by towing it with the wrecker. According to 1st Sgt. Wayne Jones of Birmingham, Alabama, FSC 926th Engineer Battalion, “the most common issues have been with vehicle transmissions, hydraulics, fuel pumps, and tires.” For Resolute Castle 17, Jones said, “at least 25 vehicles have been put back into the fight.”
Soldiers of the FSC receive invaluable experience and training through their efforts in supporting Resolute Castle 17 at the Joint National Training Center. Such efforts fulfill their annual training requirement in a unique and contributive way as participants in the broader Europe-wide Operation Atlantic Resolve.
“I feel like I am a part of something and getting tough, good, hands-on training,” said Pfc. Darrell Rich of Birmingham, AL, FSC, 926th Eng. Bn., confirming how Resolute Castle 2017 has affected his life and Army career. 1st Lt. Edward Rivers of Lexington, SC, 122nd Eng. Co. FSC sums up the behind-the-scenes work of the FSC: “ensuring all equipment is properly functioning and fueled to allow Soldiers to complete the mission.”

• Date Taken: 05.17.2017
• Date Posted: 05.21.2017 10:06
• Story ID: 234622
• Location: CINCU, RO
• Hometown: BIRMINGHAM, AL, US
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