JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- The Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services site at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., is making use of its own reserve unit to assist in its mission to dispose of excess and surplus military equipment and supplies.
Disposal Remediation Team Lewis, a joint-service reserve outfit, drills there one weekend each month, augmenting the DLA Disposition Services site’s civilian staff. The unit is about 35 members strong when its roster is full and includes Navy – filling about two-thirds of the positions – as well as Army reservists.
“Our mission is to recruit, integrate new members into the unit, train them to work in the warehouse here, and prepare them to deploy in support of DLA,” Navy Reserve Cdr. Al Schmitt, the unit’s commander, said.
That’s a big job for a small unit, but “we’re on top of it,” Schmitt said.
The disposition facility employs about 30 civilians and at times operates six days a week. As what is called a hub site, its operational responsibility is excess and surplus military material in the Pacific Northwest, including Oregon, Alaska and part of Idaho, in addition to Washington.
The main warehouse covers 126,000 square feet, with a central receiving room and six other bays for various items processed through the facility. The entire Joint Base Lewis-McChord disposition services area encompasses 34 acres.
Not surprisingly, the sheer volume of excess property that comes through here is overwhelming, resulting in hours of overtime as the staff attempts to keep up with the influx of goods, said Robert Burrell, area manager. That’s where the reservists come in.
DRT reservists’ training includes the basic military supply course and job-specific instruction, but the real test comes early Saturday morning of the weekend training assemblies when the reservists hit the floor and begin processing material themselves following established procedures.
Burrell schedules civilians to work with the reservists one on one to help train and guide them, he said. The on-the-job training helps the reservists prepare for deployments, where they will perform the same duty but without the same supervision.
DRTs serve a vital role by deploying to forward areas in Afghanistan, Iraq. They bring the expertise of DLA Disposition Services to military units serving on the front lines. Here at home, though, Burrell said he appreciates the contribution of the DRT to his operation – and he depends on it.
“Suppose I have 20 reservists on a weekend,” he said. “What a resource. That’s 20 extra people to assist with the workload two days a month.
“We have a great working relationship,” he said.
Schmitt agrees. “It’s a great opportunity to work with a fine group of high-caliber, very dedicated people,” military and civilian alike, he said.
This year, the DRT has contributed nearly 700 hours of support to the disposition facility on drill weekends alone, in addition to 110-plus days of annual tour, with more than 50 additional days scheduled for the remainder of August and September. Those figures have increased steadily since the unit was established here in 1998 as a Navy Reserve team. Army Reserve billets were added in 1999.
“Now we’re looking to grow again, adding some more soldiers and possibly some [Air Force Reserve] airmen,” Schmitt said.
When he took over the reins of the DRT in December 2009, nearly two-thirds of his Sailors and Soldiers were deployed in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Most of them returned to duty this summer, and Schmitt met them for the first time.
As the DRT came together again, he focused on ensuring a smooth transition and incorporating the returning members back into the unit. He had established contact via e-mail with those deployed and concentrated on training and readiness for those left behind, and he planned for the time when the unit would be intact again, he said.
Schmitt himself is preparing for deployment to Afghanistan late this fall; it will be his second such tour.
“We have a very important mission over there,” he said. “That’s the focus of our training here. It takes a lot of effort to make it a success.”
New members and old-timers alike are willing to put forth that effort, and those returning from deployment offered their enthusiastic support.
The overseas tour was “a wonderful experience,” said Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alicia Robinson, who served for six months at an Army post in Iraq.
“Teaching people who didn’t know the value of scrap – about reusing and recycling? It was awesome,” she said.
Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Teodoro Almendarez, who also deployed to an Army post in Iraq for six months, agreed.
“I was lovin’ it. I was, like, ‘I’m here to help you get rid of your scrap.’ It was a great experience.”
| Date Taken: |
08.23.2010 |
| Date Posted: |
08.24.2010 08:19 |
| Story ID: |
55093 |
| Location: |
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: |
59 |
| Downloads: |
1 |
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This work, Military reservists boost mission success at Disposition Services, by Lt. Col. Richard Sater, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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