NAVAL ACTIVITY PUERTO RICO, Puerto Rico - Every year, there is a two-week time period where Florida National Guard soldiers gather their military gear from all corners of their garage and pack it into a duffel bag – which always seems to be a little too small – so they can conduct their annual training.
Annual training for Florida Guardsmen is oftentimes conducted at or near their home station, but not this year for 927th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion. The 927th flew out of Jacksonville, Fla., June 4, 2011, to partner with the Puerto Rico National Guard’s 292nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion to conduct a practical and realistic annual training mission in Puerto Rico. The partnership is a first for the two National Guard units.
“The special thing about this mission is the growing bond between the Florida Guard and Puerto Rico Guard,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Jaime Perez, the 292nd CSSB’s command sergeant major. “We are learning a lot of things from the Florida Guard. They are dedicated soldiers who are doing their job. Our people see that and that encourages them to do a better job.”
The units combined in order to support transportation, water purification and maintenance units during a real-time mission with real needs and demands.
“The mission is to provide command and control for water purification and distribution to the local government for the Island of Culebra during tourist season so the water reserves don’t drop to unacceptable levels while providing staff assistance in functional areas to the 292nd CSSB,” said Maj. Sid Hill, the 927th executive officer and full time administrative officer. “This mission provides soldiers the opportunity to work in their assigned military occupation specialties with their peers from Puerto Rico.”
In order to accomplish the water purification mission, there are many supporting roles, which include: command and control, maintenance, transportation, personnel, supply, and food services. Everything is controlled and managed in four geographically dispersed operations centers.
“Our mission is to conduct split operations among four locations,” said Capt. Juan Rodriguez, the 292nd operations officer.
The operations center is staffed by personnel from the 927th and 292nd and is responsible for providing command and control to maintenance, transportation and water purification units that are in support of this mission.
An element of the 927th, located on the Island of Culebra, is providing command and control for the 714th Quartermaster Unit, a water purification unit, during this real-time mission. The 714th produced water by taking salt water and turning it into potable water to distribute to the local population. The 714th surpassed their goal of 100,000 gallons of water to be desalinated and distributed by more than 20 percent. The water purification unit reached approximately 125,000 gallons of water. The water has allowed the Island of Culebra to more than double their reserves for approximately 2,500 people who reside on the island.
“We exercised each staff function to the fullest extent during this annual training period,” said Lt. Col. Trey Chauncey, the 927th Battalion commander. “Through their collective planning efforts the unit surpassed established goals in all areas.”
Conducting an outside the continental United States deployment requires a certain degree of synchronized planning to ensure mission success that cannot be duplicated at home station.
“The fail safes that exist at home station are removed and the complexities associated with language barriers, movement control, geographic dispersion and cultural differences are all obstacles that must be considered when preparing for the mission,” explained Chauncey. “Where else would we be required to coordinate with a Landing Craft Detachment to move our soldiers and equipment?”
“Placing my soldiers in these circumstances allowed me to see the soldiers out of their comfort zones,” Chauncey continued. “And to my expectation, these soldiers were able to come together and successfully complete the water purification mission while simultaneously exercising command and control throughout the area of operation.”
The 927th soldiers, also known as the “Storm Chasers” for their past hurricane support, were able to provide guidance and support to their Puerto Rico National Guard counterparts, including training on specific military occupational skills.
“It was amazing to watch veteran soldiers teach younger soldiers, and the newer soldiers taking direction and stepping up to complete the mission when needed,” said Chauncey.
The 927th also exceeded goals in maintenance on Puerto Rico National Guard equipment by completing more than 100 man hours of work. The chemical, biological, radiation and nuclear non-commissioned officers conducted inspections on more than 150 protective masks. The food service soldiers assisted with providing more than 3,000 meals during annual training. In addition to providing this support, the soldiers conducted cross-training with the Puerto Rico National Guard soldiers.
During this real-time mission, soldiers were able to see the direct results of their efforts.
“I changed the rear differential seal on a 900 series 5-Ton truck, and the next day I saw the vehicle being utilized in the field.” said Pvt. William Robert Glauner, from Ocala, Fla., a 927th wheeled vehicle mechanic. “Because this is a real-time mission, I can see how my work directly supports the overall mission and that is a great feeling.”
Although the 927th and 292nd are both combat sustainment support battalions, members on both sides strive to learn from each others’ differences.
“The two units are the same, but they’re not,” Rodriguez said. “We have been deployed different places and bring different experiences to the table.”
Master Sgt. Carl Livingston agrees.
“Missions like this help strengthen our soldiers culturally and professionally,” said Livingston, who has been in the Florida National Guard for more than 34 years. “It helps them see how others conduct missions and directs them to be more efficient.”
The relationship between the 927th CSSB and 292nd CSSB will continue to grow as the 292nd will be conducting weapons qualification this summer at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center located near Starke, Fla.
| Date Taken: |
06.16.2011 |
| Date Posted: |
06.16.2011 08:50 |
| Story ID: |
72172 |
| Location: |
NAVAL ACTIVITY PUERTO RICO, PR |
| Web Views: |
286 |
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This work, Florida Guardsmen partner with Puerto Rico National Guard for water purification mission, by SGT Michael Baltz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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