Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Army Sgt. Shawn McKnight, a light–wheel vehicle mechanic with Company B, 173rd...... read more read more
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By Army 2nd Lt. Monika Comeaux
173rd Brigade Support Battalion
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FENTY, Afghanistan—Soldiers of Company B, 173rd Brigade Support Battalion, trained countless hours in preparation for their current deployment and their maintenance mission before they left Germany. Originally, they were getting ready to go to Iraq. It was until March that they found out that they were being redirected to Afghanistan.
Little did they know that, besides providing the usual maintenance support, they would also be responsible for managing and running Forward Operating Base Fenty Operations. They were told about this task upon completion of their last training exercise, so there was not time to rehearse for this mission, said Army Capt. Christopher J. Moberg, a quartermaster officer, who is the Co. B commander.
"Traditionally, the Company B in a brigade support battalion is to provide field maintenance support to all units within the brigade support battalion and unsupported units in the battalion area of responsibility," Moberg said.
His company is also responsible for providing supplementary field maintenance and recovery support on vehicles, weapons, electronics and ground support equipment to the forward support companies of the four maneuver battalions within the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, he added.
The company hit the ground running.
"It was a challenge just to get a battle rhythm...We have a battle rhythm but we still have to respond to everyday changes," said Army 1st Sgt. Reyes Rios, Co. B first sergeant. "It is a moving mission, like a moving target. There is always something new that comes up because of the movements and improvements in the FOB."
There is a team of Soldiers residing at Bagram Airfield, who provide maintenance and recovery support to Co. A's Combat Logistics Patrols. Yet when it comes to new tasks, the battalion heavily depends on Co. B.
"We are known as the 'muscle of the battalion' because we make any and everything that the mission requires happen," said Army Sgt.1st Class Aaron Stewart, a senior maintenance supervisor, who is the platoon sergeant for the Automotive Platoon. Stewart is also the non-commissioned officer in charge and the field ordering officer for FOB Fenty Operations.
Besides being the "muscle of the battalion," Rios says the company is also known for its tight-knit family environment.
"We don't consider the company a company. It is called a company but it is more like a family...like a really close team of individuals, from the senior leadership all the way down to the lowest ranking private," he explained.
Running the Base Ops mission enables Co. B Soldiers to work with Afghans and learn about the culture.
"Some of the guys who have been on guard duty sometimes get invited to dinner at another compound," said Rios. "They get to see the culture of the Afghans here ...That is something that Soldiers will talk about when they have grandkids."
"I think it is a very educational experience because we get first-hand knowledge about the Afghan culture, the reasons that the people are the way they are and how they feel about the [coalition] personnel being here in their country," added Stewart.
Besides meeting Afghans, Co. B had other interesting adventures while running Base Ops. Since they oversee work orders, they had a good laugh when someone submitted a work order to have a bed made when the rest of the base camp personnel were still sleeping on cots, remembers Rios.
"At this point, nothing surprises me," said Moberg reflecting back on the numerous unusual requests and taskings the company has received in the past five months.
Soldiers in Co. B will take away a lot from this deployment. They will keep on pushing and do what they have to do to accomplish the multifaceted mission.
"We are doing something I don't think any other company would have been capable of doing," Rios concluded.
| Date Taken: | 10.15.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2007 11:12 |
| Story ID: | 12996 |
| Location: | JALALABAD, AF |
| Web Views: | 487 |
| Downloads: | 286 |
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