Photo By Capt. Cory Titus | Staff Sgt. Carlos Fastin (center) and Sgt. Jean-Baptiste Edourard (far right) are...... read more read more
By 1st Lt. Tyler Smith
6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
BALKH PROVINCE, Afghanistan –In the cool of the early morning in the desert of Northern Afghanistan, a small group of soldiers are busily stacking boxes into the back of a vehicle and updating a heap of inventory documents the size of a Sunday morning newspaper.
These soldiers are beating the heat of the day as they prepare to organize truckloads of equipment on the squadron’s new footprint on Camp Marmal.
This trip is just one of many this month and is one of the main responsibilities of Staff Sgt. Carlos Fastin from Kingston, Jamaica. Fastin has been leading details like this on a regular basis since deploying to Regional Command North last April. He currently serves as the supply sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division.
His hard work and that of his soldiers has caught the attention of many on Camp Marmal, as he has been the driving force behind turning in $20 million dollars worth of U.S. Army equipment. His exceptional performance was recently recognized by the commander of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, Lt. Gen. Mark A. Milley, on a recent visit to the base.
When asked what contributes to his success, he responded, “I get my determination from the people I work with and for.”
He had worked at several jobs before enlisting in the Army in 2001. His previous occupational experience included working at a Target and working at a police station as a clerk. While those jobs helped him gain some perspective as a person, they pale in comparison to being a supply sergeant.
“Every day is an interesting experience for me in the Army,” Fastin said.
Since enlisting, Fastin has been stationed in Washington, Texas, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, and overseas in Germany and Korea, including a deployment to Iraq in 2006. These past experiences, combined with serving in Afghanistan, have helped Fastin to keep an open mind about different cultures. In the future, he hopes to be stationed back in Europe, where he can continue his adventure.
When Fastin is not loading cargo on trucks or updating inventory records, he can be found in the gym lifting weights or on the court playing basketball. He attributes a native Jamaican dish of “stew peas” to his large stature. He towers over most soldiers, standing 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighing 240 pounds. His physique is that of a professional athlete and he is commonly mistaken for a body guard on a high ranking officer’s personal security detail. While his physical size and stature make others take notice, his performance as a supply sergeant is just as eye catching to his superiors, managing assets valued at $45 million.
He frequently reallocates his troops’ equipment to where it is needed most. While others may trade stocks or market real estate, Fastin transfers property worth a quarter-million dollars nearly every week. While Fastin is excelling at his job, he has goals to not only continue his work but increase his responsibility. His ultimate goal is to become a warrant officer and use his extensive knowledge of the Army supply system to advise officers and NCOs on property transactions at a strategic level.
| Date Taken: | 10.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 10.12.2013 03:24 |
| Story ID: | 115107 |
| Location: | MAZAR-E-SHARIF, AF |
| Hometown: | KINGSTON, JM |
| Hometown: | ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | RADCLIFF, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 547 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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