By Capt. Sonise Lumbaca, 1st Corps Support Command Public Affairs
TAQADDUM, Iraq -- Thousands of pounds of supplies are flown in via fixed- and rotary- wing aircraft or driven in by combat logistics patrols to a staging areas each day. The various supplies, which include bottled water, equipment parts and ammunition, are brought in from various locations and countries to aid U.S. troops in Iraq.
Once all of these supplies arrive, who determines what goes where, and when?
Members of 3rd Platoon, 403rd Cargo Transfer Company, 620th Corps Support Battalion, 561st Corps Support Group, an active-duty unit from Fort Bragg, N.C., has taken on the mission of receiving inbound supplies and dispersing them to various units of all services.
The platoon of about 40 Soldiers, which arrived in mid January, is responsible for three areas of this operation which operates 24 hours a day: the Joint Air Control Operations Team, Central Receiving Shipping Point and the Logistics Support Area Operations.
Once called the Air Departure Airfield Control Group, the JACOT mission has evolved into a joint mission involving the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. The JACOT is responsible for moving cargo by air.
"The operation is simple, we upload and download Air Force and Marine aircraft. Mainly C-17s and C-130s," said Sgt. 1st Class Lupe G. Galvan, 3rd Platoon, 403rd CTC.
"The Marines download the rotary-winged Aircraft and we download Air force pallets and transport them to a cargo yard where the cargo is tracked and facilitated to the correct units," he said.
"All four branches of service work together to facilitate the movement of this cargo," Galvan said.
The JACOT was formed in order to mitigate combat logistics patrols.
"It is the first of its kind in the Iraqi theater," Galvan said.
About 12 members of 3rd Platoon operate the ground portion of the JACOT mission which entails operating various equipment including the Air Force 25K and 40K loader and the Army, Marine and Air Force 10K rough-terrain forklift.
K-Loaders are cargo-loading systems used to load pallets onto an aircraft.
"Our Soldiers have been cross-trained on this equipment by the other branches. The joint training helps to accomplish the mission without flaws," Galvan said.
Pfc. Anastasia Tolley, a cargo specialist for the 403rd CTC, loads cargo during the dayshift.
"I like this job because it is eventful and develops good skills as far as the technical trade goes," Tolley said. "The job is challenging and keeps me on my toes."
The Central Receiving Shipping Point mission, an operation run by about 11 Soldiers, receives supplies and equipment in a staging yard and distributes the Army cargo from incoming combat logistics patrols to units here and other forward operating bases.
The CRSP yard is also a staging area for combat logistics patrols traveling to various other locations in Iraq and Kuwait, Galvan said.
The Soldiers that operate the CRSP yard not only are responsible for cargo documentation, but also operating Material Handling Equipment which includes container handlers to load and unload 20 and 40 feet containers, an the 10K variable reach forklift that loads 463L Air Force pallets.
Container handler is machinery that can be driven through rough terrain with the capability to load and unload large containers on to flatbed trucks, rail cars and on the ground.
"We write down the unit, tracking number, weight and the day the equipment was picked up in order to keep track of what comes in and out of the yard," said Spc. Dianna Deiss, forklift operator, 403rd CTC. "There's a lot of different units and sometimes we'll get cargo that is not supposed to be here. So, we have to track it down and make sure it gets to the right location."
Members of the LSA Operations cell are responsible for providing support throughout the entire camp here. They load up combat logistics patrols and travel throughout Iraq providing support. Additionally, they provide MHE support, which includes the operation of a 40-ton crane to move heavy equipment for units that do not have this type of support.
"We have moved over 6,000 pieces of equipment and freights over the past seven months," Galvan said.
There are some challenges.
"The biggest challenge we have in Iraq is the weather and keeping our equipment mission capable," Galvan said. "The sand storms we have to deal with damage our Kalmars, and 10Ks in our every day usage."
However, the unit is able to meet this challenge with experienced Soldiers within the platoon.
"We have a great maintenance team on hand that keep our equipment from falling apart and they are always looking for replacement parts ahead of time. So far we haven't dropped a mission for non mission-capable equipment because of the fine job they have been doing," Galvan said.
Members of 3rd Platoon enjoy their jobs because they are doing what they were trained to do, Galvan said, but this is just one of many reasons.
"I enjoy this job and its versatility," Deiss said. "It's not monotonous or repetitive."
Editor's Note: Capt. Lumbaca is a member of the 1st Corps Support Command Public Affairs from Fort Bragg, N.C. and is deployed to Iraq in support of units at LSA Anaconda and various other installations in theatre.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2005 08:58 |
| Story ID: | 2500 |
| Location: | AL TAQADDUM, IQ |
| Web Views: | 54 |
| Downloads: | 10 |
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