Photo By Staff Sgt. Engels Tejeda | Staff Sgt. Dennis Lombardi, a mechanic from Brooklyn, N.Y., extended his deployment to...... read more read more
Dozens of Reserve and National Guard Soldiers have voluntarily extended their deployments to serve with units of the 3rd Corps Support Command since the command took over logistics operations in Iraq.
Though comprehensive statistics were not available for all of COSCOM, evidence from several units indicates that many servicemembers have taken advantage of the Contingency Operation Temporary Tour of Active Duty (COTTAD) program. The COTTAD allows deployed Reserve and National Guards Soldiers to extend their deployments without a break in deployment benefits.
"It allows Reservists to extend their deployments without having to go home first," said Lt. Col. Mark Gaworski, chief of Army Reserve Affairs for 3rd COSCOM.
Since the beginning of December when Gaworski's office took over COTTAD processing for 3rd COSCOM, more than 130 servicemembers have taken advantage of the program.
The 16th Corps Support Group, a 3rd COSCOM subordinate, has had 45 Soldiers extend. In some smaller units, like the 1116th Transportation Company, Reservists who extended their deployments account for as much as 15 percent of the personnel.
A look at two servicemembers who extended to serve with the 16th CSG reveals a range of reasons for which the Soldiers are choosing to participate in the COTTAD program.
Sgt. 1st Class Mary Cofield, now the assistant senior personnel NCO with the 16th CSG, extended her deployment for nine months after serving in 2004 with the 122nd Corps Support Group. A media specialist with the Dallas County Schools Board in Salma, Ala., her civilian employment is seasonal and had she returned home with the 122nd, she would have had to wait until the fall of 2006 to begin working.
"It was a very hard decision to make because of my family," Cofield said. "But my youngest [son] just started college and here it's much better than I expected."
Cofield deployed for Desert Storm and was surprised to find how accommodating the amenities are now.
"In Desert Storm we spent most of the time in the desert, living in tents, ate a lot of MREs (Meal Ready to Eat), and there was no air conditioners," Cofield said. "Now it's like garrison."
Not that she would have necessarily changed her mind had conditions been as rough as they were in 1990. A daring Soldier, she joined the Army when her two younger sisters told her she could not make it through basic training because she was too old.
At the time, her sisters had enlisted in the active Army and were 23 and 19-years old. She was 26. Since then, both of her sisters have retired from the military; Cofield remains standing.
"I'll stay until they push me out," she says.
Unlike Cofield, Spc. Antonio Gonzales, 21, has no children and quit his job at a rental car company when he deployed with the 122nd in 2004 were he had been working in the operations section.
When the 122nd was ready to go home, Gonzales volunteered to stay for six months to help the 16th because he wanted to save some money to buy a new car and to furnish his apartment.
It turns out that aside from saving some extra cash, he has also grown close with the 16th and has enjoyed going outside the wire with the civil affairs section of that command, so he extended for another six months.
"I kind of started for the money, but then I kind of bonded with everyone here, so I decided to stay," Gonzales said.
While their reasons for extending may be different, what the Soldiers share in common is that they are an invaluable asset for the units with which they extend.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Posta, the civil affairs NCOIC for the 16th, said that Gonzales "is a vital asset to our operation," noting that the younger Soldiers in the headquarters element often huddle around "Gonzo" because he's more familiar with the environment than they are. Sgt. 1st Class Darrin Stoner, the human resources NCOIC for the 16th, said that Cofield plays an essential role in his team.
"She deals with Reserves" issues that we are not familiar with," Stoner said, noting that he is active duty. "Without her, we would be lost in that area."
Gaworski said that Reserve or National Guard Soldiers who want to extend should file the paperwork at least 60 days prior to their unit's estimated transfer of authority date.
Among the paperwork needed is a DA Form 4187 and orders from the Soldier's current deployment and any previous deployments the Soldier has had since September 11, 2001, if such deployments were in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, or Noble Eagle.
Reservists and National Guard Soldiers may elect to extend their deployments three consecutive times, for as little as 30 days and as many as 360 days at the time.
Some Soldiers who have served on Global War on Terrorism related deployments may be eligible for an additional $1,000 per month after having completed 24 months of total deployment time.
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| Date Taken: | 05.05.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 05.05.2006 03:15 |
| Story ID: | 6279 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 577 |
| Downloads: | 19 |
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