MUSCATATUCK URBAN TRAINING CENTER, Ind. - Soldiers from the 127th Quartermaster Company out of Fort Bragg, N.C., produced, stored, transported and distributed potable water for displaced civilians during the Vibrant Response 13 training exercise at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, Ind., July 29.
As part of the Vibrant Response training exercise conducted by U.S. Northern Command and led by U.S. Army North, the 127th QM Company, worked with other Joint Task Force Civil Support units to demonstrate their ability to support local, state and federal authorities.
“Our mission is to provide logistical support in concert with Red Cross and [Federal Emergency Management Agency], to purify, store and distribute water to the American people in their time of need,” said Sgt. Daniel Trowell, the water treatment supervisor for the company.
Water treatment specialists assigned to the company are responsible for providing purified water for civilians and other JTF-CS units in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.
During the training venue, Trowell and his soldiers, responded to a request from local civil authorities to provide 400 gallons of water to displaced civilians in the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center.
After purifying the water, the quartermaster troopers drove tactical vehicles from a training forward operating base on Camp Atterbury to Muscatatuck to deliver the water to those in need.
“This exercise is going well so far,” said Trowell, a native of Lakeland, Fla. “We understand our role is important, because without us the people wouldn’t have clean water. We’re essential to the mission.”
Once the troops arrived in Muscatatuck, they siphoned the water from a transport trailer to the portable water trailer on site.
“It makes us feel good to be exercising our skills,” said Spc. Felipe Sotomayor, a water treatment specialist from Puerto Rico.
Sotomayor was responsible for monitoring the water levels and filling the reservoirs once the unit arrived on site.
After leaving the Muscatatuck, the troops traveled back to their FOB on Atterbury to prepare for their next mission.
“I enjoy this training, because it’s just going to help me at getting better at my job,” said Sotomayor, who enlisted in the military two years ago. “I want to be very proficient in my job in case something should occur and we have to help people.”
The 127th QM Company will continue to support JTF-CS while conducting the Vibrant Response exercise.