CAMP VICTORY, BAGHDAD -- When the III Corps Special Troops Battalion arrived in Iraq, they became the largest battalion in the Army, providing support to more than 5,500 service members and contractors.
At Fort Hood, Texas, the Phantom STB supported about 950 Soldiers.
When they took over the United States Forces-Iraq STB mission, they became the Task Force Phantom STB and their numbers and workload swelled.
The STB's role during a deployment remains pretty much the same as it does at home station, to take care of Soldiers.
"For Special troop battalions it is our duty to handle personnel, property, and accountability support of their higher headquarters operations. We have been working extremely hard up to this point in the deployment to do those very things," said Lt. Col. Menti the USF-I STB commander.
Maj. Kevin Kugel, executive officer for the USF-I STB, said supporting this many personnel and units is a very challenging mission, and just adjusting to the scope of work involved was the biggest challenge.
"We have a brigade sized population but only a battalion sized staff," he said.
The STB is comprised of four organic companies, but in Iraq, they are now responsible for the care of more than 50 subordinate units spread throughout Iraq.
While the units vary in size and mission, Kugel said they are all provided the same support, and they all have representation at all the battalion meetings.
"As long as they fall under us they are treated as our own," Kugel said.
To accommodate the increased numbers of personnel and the myriad of daily tasks required to enable a unit to function, many of the staff sections have had to be creative in the tasks Soldiers perform.
Master Sgt. Christopher Reeves, the non-commissioned officer in charge for the Task Force Phantom STB's plans and operations section has augmented his staff with Soldiers from a variety of Army jobs that would normally never work in that shop.
He said his shop now includes infantrymen, truck drivers and even some military police. They have all adjusted well to their new missions and are ensuring the battalion succeeds in its mission.
"These young troops have really had to step up and learn how to do the job," Reeves said. "There are some specialists performing jobs that would normally be filled by a senior non-commissioned officer or a commissioned officer, and they get the job done."
And Menti says that during the nearly three months the STB has been in Iraq, they have adjusted to the mission workload and he is confident that everyone under the care of the Task Force Phantom STB will continue to receive the support they need throughout the deployment.
| Date Taken: | 04.22.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 04.27.2010 03:25 |
| Story ID: | 48737 |
| Location: | CAMP VICTORY, IQ |
| Web Views: | 234 |
| Downloads: | 165 |
This work, Special Troops Battalion takes on brigade-size mission, by CPT Daniel Yarnall, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
