Going home? DCS has new location

Photo By Sgt. Jason Mikeworth | Pfc. Shanna Lesar of F Detachment, 18th Personnel Services Battalion, begins the introduction brief at the new Deployment Cycle Support center she and other F Detachment Soldiers helped build at Logistical Support Area Anaconda.  

11.18.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

The Soldiers of F Detachment, 18th Personnel Services Battalion, have been working hard to make redeployment and taking leave a faster, more comfortable experience.

Between working their normal duties providing Deployment Cycle Support services, escort duty and tower guard shifts, F Detachment crammed in an extra, labor-intensive mission: building a new DCS center.

"The old place was falling apart. It was too small to accommodate the people we were trying to push through," said Spc. Michael Clark, a DCS team member who helped with the construction of the new facility. "You've got battalions, brigade combat teams, and corps all trying to redeploy, it was a nightmare."

At one point, the old tent used for the DCS briefings even collapsed, Clark said.

"We just needed a harder structure, something a little more Soldier-friendly," Clark said. "We're a 24-7 mission, Soldiers have to redeploy and they have to go on leave."

After relocating to a new tent, the Soldiers of F Detachment still had to build the infrastructure to support the DCS mission. Spc. Christopher Williams helped lead the construction effort to build a new stage, podiums, a privacy area for medical screenings and a projector screen large enough for the new 500-seat briefing area.

"Sergeant Johnson would come to me with ideas and ask me if I thought we could do it," said Williams, who worked as a contractor with his father and uncle for about six years before joining the Army. "I"d tell him anything is possible and give it a try."

The project was entirely staffed by Soldiers, a fact that is a source of pride for F Detachment.

"It worked out good. We didn't have to call on anyone for help. I had a little knowledge of carpentry, so I could go to someone with a task, and if they didn't understand how to get it done, I could show them," Williams said. "It'll pay off later because now they know a little something more than they did before."

The DCS team didn't have long to accomplish the mission, and there were some who had doubts that they could finish the project on time.

"If people tell me I can't do something, it makes me want to do it more," said Pfc.

Shanna Lesar, another team member with F Detachment. "It was long hours, but I knew the faster we worked the quicker we would be done."

Staying motivated was a key to finishing the project a week before their deadline.

"I just kept telling myself I want to see the look on everybody's face," Williams said. "That will tell me how good of a job it was. A lot of people can tell you it was a good job, but the look on their face, the look in their eyes, that tells me what they're really thinking."

Spc. Desiri Deleon, a DCS team member, said pride was another motivating factor.

"We wanted to do the job. We wouldn't leave the project undone. Seeing it done leaves a warm feeling in your heart," she said. With the construction nearly complete, the team decided to add a little of their own creative flair to decorate the new facility. Pfc. Erika Cumbry designed a mural that is the first sight for many entering the tent for briefings.

"They had been asking me to draw a picture that meant something to all Soldiers," Cumbry said. "Something to walk away and think about."

After sketching the idea on paper, Cumbry, with help from her team, sketched and painted the mural onto the wall.

"It feels really good, like I had a part in something," Cumbry said. "When I leave, a small piece of me will still be here."

"Humble" hardly begins to describe the Soldiers of F Detachment, with each Soldier eager to cite the accomplishments of the team while shying away from individual credit.

"We're already a family," said Sgt. Roselyn Avegalio. "We were close when we started, this brought us closer."

Avegalio added that the project helped everyone learn more about each other.

"You learn about people's skills. We know our Soldiers have [certain] skills," she said, "but now we know we can build, paint and that we are very creative."

Staff Sgt. Larry Johnson, the NCOIC of the DCS team, said the Soldiers working for him were a blessing.

"People passing through are looking at the NCOIC. If your Soldiers aren't doing a good job, then you're not doing a good job," Johnson said. "I'm extremely proud of this team."

• Date Taken: 11.18.2005
• Date Posted: 11.18.2005 09:19
• Story ID: 3773