Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brad Miller | U.S. Army Reserve Soldier, Spc. Brandon Shreve, a water purification supervisor with...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – When a future Soldier walks into their local recruiting office, they know they are signing up to serve their country. Once trained in their military occupational specialty, some of those same people find themselves using the experience learned to also serve their local communities. Water treatment specialists participating in the Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise 2018 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina use that experience to elevate the training for their Soldiers.
For this real-world exercise, Army Reserve Soldiers of the 326th Quartermaster Company from New Castle, Pennsylvania and the 431st Quartermaster Detachment out of Winterville, North Carolina are providing the entire water supply for drinking, cooking, showers and laundry.
“I got my job because of doing this,” says Spc. Brandon Shreve, with the 326th QM CO, who works as a water treatment plant manager in Elkins, West Virginia. “The MOS doesn’t give you credit toward hours of training, but the hands-on experience and knowledge of the chemical process and the science behind the purification of water is pretty much the same. Because of that knowledge, I was the top candidate for the position I applied for over people coming in off the street.”
Shreve says even though there is a vast difference in the number of people for whom they are providing water and doing it all in a field environment, the principles are the same.
“Real-world training, like we’re doing here, is what made me want to do this on the civilian side,” says Shreve. “When it comes to the chemical process and the ways that different water sources react to chemicals, I’m able to coach new Soldiers on what to look for. The system that we use here is the exact same process that most up to date water treatment plants in cities use to provide drinking water to the population.”
These Soldiers impress the importance of this job on their teammates and their civilian career lends extra weight to their input.
Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Miller, water purification specialist with the 326th QM CO, works for the Army Corps of Engineers as a biologist whose primary responsibility is to review permits for structures being built on waterways and wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay.
“One thing I encounter that relates to this job, is the sensitive species, like the butterfly habitat that we ran into at our site here and the woodpeckers which are common in the Fort Bragg area,” says Miller. “I know the process of how the sites are identified and I explain to my Soldiers why we need to avoid those area as well as the repercussions if those areas are disturbed. There is potential for fines and it could even go to court, even if there isn’t an animal involved.”
Prior to starting her current position approximately eight months ago, Miller worked as a biologist and water quality specialist for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for the oil and gas program. She feels that this job more closely related to her MOS in using similar testing equipment and processes.
“I am able to give my Soldiers more detailed training and help them understand what they are looking at rather just telling them to refer to the training manuals,” Miller says. “To help with that, during battle assemblies I’ve taken them on site recons to local water sources. We take the samples of the water and got through all of the testing procedures. From there, we can determine ‘why would we use this source or why would we not use it?’ We then discuss the next step we should take to complete the mission.”
Miller volunteers with a forward engineer support team in addition to her civilian job with the Army Corps of Engineers. This team travels to deployment locations overseas to set up bases and sites for U.S. troops. Miller says that it’s her specialized MOS training that makes her an asset.
“Even though I’m not an engineer, which is the skill set that they desire,” says Miller, “I have the base knowledge of water operations and they asked me to be on the team. So, I’m able to deploy with the Soldiers and help them as a civilian.”
A few states to the south, Greenville, North Carolina is where Spc. Thomas Watkins, with the 431st Quartermaster Detachment calls home. Watkins also says that his Army training helped him find civilian work.
“I work for the city of Jacksonville doing the same as this: utility maintenance,” Watkins says. “When I told them I was a water treatment specialist, I had several options of where I could work. Now, I do the same thing for the city that I do here. I maintain the lines for drinking water and services.”
Watkins feels that his experience is amplified when he remains open to always crave knowledge and never stop learning.
“It also works the other way because I take things I’ve learned from my job and apply it to this because I do it every day,” says Watkins. “It helps me stay sharp on my skills and I can be sure that these Soldiers are doing things the right way and safely.”
The water purification specialists participating in QLLEX have a crucial real-world mission. They are providing the life-sustaining water for each every Soldier playing their part in the exercise. With the majority of all Army liquid logistics assets in the Army Reserve, these Soldiers understand the pivotal role they play and make the best of QLLEX, proving they are ready when called upon.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.19.2018 20:41 |
| Story ID: | 284946 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | ELKINS, WV, US |
| Hometown: | GREENVILLE, NC, US |
| Hometown: | NEW CASTLE, PA, US |
| Hometown: | WINTERVILLE, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 134 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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