Photo By Chief Warrant Officer Camara Clayton | U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Sarah B. Howard and Col. Robin S. Julch, the command team for the...... read more read more
COLUMBIA, S.C.--In an atmosphere mixed with immense pride, mission focus, plenty of hugs and even some tears, Soldiers of the 310th Human Resources Sustainment Center stood before Family, friends and fellow Soldiers to say goodbye during a deployment ceremony on Fort Jackson, March 10, 2018.
“Having been a spouse of a Soldier, having been a Soldier deployed, I can tell you the hardest job is your job,” said U.S. Army Reserve Col. Robin S. Julch, 310th HRSC Commander. Speaking directly to Family members, she acknowledged just how tough it can be. “You become mom, you become dad, and you’re emotional—especially when you don’t hear from us like you want to. You think the worst. Don’t. Don’t think the worst. They’re going to be okay because we’re going to see to it.”
The 310th HRSC is deploying in support of Spartan Shield within U.S. Army Central Command’s area of Operation. The specialized unit is one of only five HRSCs in the total Army and one of two in the Reserve Component. The team will manage personnel operations in theater which include postal, personnel accountability and casualty reporting from minor injuries and non-hostile incidents to more serious events that require patient tracking or possibly casualty notification.
“We make sure personnel accountability is taken care of, that all the systems are working right,” said Julch.
The team brings with it several deployment veterans with a wealth of personnel experience. This marks the fifth deployment for the 310th HRSC sergeant major. Sgt. Maj. Sarah B. Howard actually transferred back to the unit to deploy with the 310th for a third time.
“I am really proud. There are a few soldiers in this unit I have deployed with in the past but for the most part there’s only about 15 that have deployed with an HRSC, so when I got here we were putting everything together making sure people fit in the right place. I think we’re really prepared. I’m really confident they can get in and get the job done,” said Howard.
Members of the surrounding community also travelled to Fort Jackson to honor the unit during its send-off. About one hundred well-wishers attended the event including Samuel Brick and Jim Cardo, who both serve as Army Reserve ambassadors for South Carolina, and Junior Reserve Officer Training Cadets from Brookland-Cayse High School who provided a color guard for the ceremony.
As a final symbol of the unit’s impending deployment, the commander and command sergeant major cased the unit guidon, an Army tradition symbolizing the unit’s movement to a new theater of operations. At times, neither Soldiers nor onlookers could keep emotions at bay. Julch didn’t miss a beat reassuring the crowd with some comic relief.
“This is hard, but we’ll be safe. We’re going to come back with funky tans. Our necks and hands will be tanned and the rest of us will be very pale,” she joked as the crowd burst into laughter.
“Yes, it’s hot over there but we can do it,” she continued. “A lot of us have done it before. It’s just part of being a Soldier.”
| Date Taken: | 03.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 03.15.2018 15:35 |
| Story ID: | 269528 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 383 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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