Senior NCO embarks on worldwide tour to ensure Soldiers are taken care of

Photo By Julie A Kelemen | Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Morrison observed U.S. Army Soldiers from the 689th Rapid Port Opening Element, 832nd Transportation Bn. engage targets from the standing position in the Engagement Skills Trainer at Fort Eustis on Oct. 28, 2021.  

UNITED STATES

10.29.2021

Story by Julie A Kelemen 

597th Transportation Brigade

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va.—The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command's new senior enlisted leader Command Sgt. Maj. Brian Morrison visited Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Oct. 28-29.

Fort Eustis is home to the SDDC's rapid deployment troops and houses many of the Soldiers assigned to the 688th, 689th, or 690th Rapid Port Opening Elements. It also houses the 597th Transportation Brigade headquarters and operations center.

Morrison joined SDDC in October 2021 and he is visiting each subordinate brigade in order to meet with leaders and assess the situation on the ground. As the senior noncommissioned officer, Morrison is responsible for advising the commander on all issues related to the enlisted ranks.

First, he stopped at the brigade headquarters for an informational briefing about operations. The 597th Transportation Brigade manages every military port on the East Coast, Gulf Coast and the Southern Command area of operations.

Then Morrison conducted a walk through inspection of the base. The tour included a stop at the Army Engagement Skills Trainer and the 832nd Transportation Battalion motor pool, lunch with the Soldiers at the Resolute Dining Facility and a tour of the barracks common areas and living spaces.

During the walk through inspection of the barracks rooms, Morrison asked many questions and talked to the Soldiers about Army life. He picked up trash along the way and identified issues in the base housing.
Morrison said he lived in Army housing much of his career and it is important to make the living quarters feel like home as much as possible.

At the end of the tour, Morrison held a listening session to gather feedback from the Soldiers. Listening sessions are held by Army leaders to have a candid dialogue with colleagues on sensitive topics. They are a closed forum for Soldiers and civilians to communicate to the Army about their experiences on a variety of topics. The feedback is gathered after the meeting and a plan of action is created to address the themes.

After the listening session, Morrison recognized Soldiers and civilians for their dedication and significant contribution to the Army's Transportation mission.

The 597th Transportation Brigade is a part of the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, responsible for integrating and synchronizing surface deployment and distribution capabilities in the Continental U.S, deploying and sustaining the Armed Forces off the East and Gulf coasts in support of global operations and U.S. Southern Command.

Additionally, the command stands ready to provide surface rapid port opening capabilities via the Army’s only three Rapid Port Opening Elements in support of its global Joint Task Force Port Opening mission.

• Date Taken: 10.29.2021
• Date Posted: 11.02.2021 13:35
• Story ID: 408534
• Location: US