Courtesy Photo | Spc. Jeremy Byers, a native of Erie, Pa., who serves with the 442nd Quartermaster...... read more read more
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By Spc. Chris McCann
2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE YUSUFIYAH, Iraq — When Soldiers first arrived in Iraq in 2003, they often had to wash their clothes in buckets or plastic bags.
Now, main camps have laundry facilities staffed by local nationals or even contracted workers from other countries – but Soldiers on forward operating bases often have to send their laundry back to the camps to get clean clothing, and it can take several days.
Recently, though, the 442nd Quartermaster Company, 541st Combat Service Support Battalion, attached to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI), brought a laundry-equipped vehicle to Forward Operating Base Yusufiyah, Iraq to solve the problem of not being able to get socks and uniforms clean in a hurry.
"We are definitely making it easier for these Soldiers here," said Spc. Jeremy Byers, a native of Erie, Penn., who serves as shower and laundry technician with the company. "It cuts the time to get their laundry back down to less than a day."
The quartermaster company isn't just cleaning laundry, either – they're helping clean the Soldiers, too. In addition to the laundry facilities are providing the base with shower facilities.
"We make sure that the Soldiers get clean clothes and hot showers," said Staff Sgt. Mark Robinson, a native of Kingston, Jamaica, squad leader with the company. "We have had a lot of Soldiers come up and thank us for being here. All we are trying to do is make better living conditions."
The 442nd Quartermaster Company arrived at FOB Yusufiyah and set things up in mid-December, providing the facilities that let Soldiers clean up – a critical service in the muddy Iraqi winter.
"This is my first mission for something like this," said Spc. Hans Haddock of Lancaster, Penn. "We have the capabilities to support 30,000 troops, so we are helping out a lot with the laundry and the showers."
The Soldiers – and their clothing – thank them.
| Date Taken: | 01.07.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2007 10:11 |
| Story ID: | 8757 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 283 |
| Downloads: | 131 |
This work, Soldiers Clean Up with Help of Quartermaster Company, by Christina McCann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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