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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait (March 29, 2004)-Master Chief Petty Officer Paul Pomroy, 55, Kauai, Hawaii (r) and Lt. j.g. Dean Horton, 34, from Grafton, N.Y., place safety caps on compressed gas cylinders. Both are members of the U.S. Coast Guard's Redeployment Assistance Inspection Detachment (RAID) deployed with the Army in Kuwait to inspect cargo containers for proper loading and labeling of hazardous materials. The mission of the five-man RAID is to ensure the containers that are packed and loaded in Iraq and Kuwait is safe to be shipped to the U.S. More than 100,000 soldiers are going home after a year of duty in Iraq as an equal number of replacements arrive. The RAID, which is attached to the Army's 1179th Deployment Support Brigade, is based out of Camp Arifjan where the bulk of the redeployment operation is located. The goal is to ensure the proper loading of HAZMAT such as acetylene, oxygen, fire extinguishers, batteries, radioactive instruments, fuel, etc, and that each container is properly labeled. During an average week the RAID assists 149 Army units, inspects 435 containers and 259 pieces of rolling stock such as tanks, trucks and armored personnel carriers. This is the second time a RAID has deployed to the region. The first team arrived last summer and the second detachment has been in Kuwait since February. USCG photo by PA1 Matthew Belson
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