Photo By Staff Sgt. John Todd | Chief Warrant Officer 3 LeShawn Gerald Cooper, vessel master of the U.S. Army Vessel...... read more read more
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PORT OF DURRES, Albania – When it comes to the movement of equipment and personnel, the crew of the U.S. Army Vessel MG Charles P. Gross has it figured out.
Led by Chief Warrant Officer 3 LeShawn Gerald Cooper, vessel master of the Gross, the crew has been instrumental in providing support to and for Joint Logistics Over-the Shore operations at the Port of Durres, Albania May 11, 2021.
JLOTS is the process where military cargo and/or personnel is moved from a vessel to a shore, often in an area where an improved port is not available.
“We exercise the logistical and transportation portion of the operation,” said Cooper. “We’re able to move whatever, from A to B, efficiently, on target and on time.”
As vessel master of the Gross, Cooper said he is responsible for the overall safe and efficient operation of the vessel.
Cooper said that responsibility is easy with the crew that operates the Gross.
“Army mariners are different types of guys and girls,” said Cooper. “They love this job, and they love being out in the water, so it's fairly easy.”
The crew takes their mission seriously; each member of the team continuously trains in seamanship and engineering to maintain proficiency.
“That's the way we keep our crew cohesive,” said Cooper. “We learn a little bit more about each other when we do our drills, and it keeps us ready for any circumstance that might come about on that vessel, whether it's damage control, fire, abandoned ship or rescue operations.”
“The crew demonstrates their proficiency in such capabilities as they operate in ports such as Durres,” said Cooper.
“Working with the Albanians was seamless, because all the work that was done before we even got here was well coordinated,” said Cooper. “It made it very simple to work hand in hand with them, and that has made the job easier.”
“JLOTS is here to stay,” said Cooper. We want everyone to understand how proficient we are at our jobs and how we tie into JLOTS - we're the middleman that takes cargo.”
“Another shore, another port, and we get it here on time,” said Cooper.
DEFENDER-Europe is an annual large-scale U.S. Army-led, multinational, joint exercise designed to build readiness and interoperability between U.S., NATO and partner militaries. This year, more than 28,000 multinational forces from 27 nations will conduct nearly simultaneous operations across more than 30 training areas in more than a dozen countries from the Baltics to the strategically important Balkans and Black Sea Region.
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2021 11:47 |
| Story ID: | 396388 |
| Location: | DURRES, AL |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Moving it: The Mighty 1099th can handle it, by SSG John Todd, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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