Courtesy Photo | Spc. Keith Knoll, an all-wheel mechanic with Company B, 168th Combat Sustainment...... read more read more
By Capt. Paul Brown
168th Brigade Support Battalion
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq - The 168th Brigade Support Battalion is quickly approaching its goal of changing the meaning of the acronym BSB from Brigade Support Battalion to Best Support Battalion.
The 168th BSB is assigned to the 214th Fires Brigade at Fort Sill, Okla., and provides direct support to the unit. The battalion is currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and attached to the 1st Sustainment Brigade, providing support to Multi-National Division – Baghdad.
While the 168th BSB is designed to provide direct support to the 214th Fires Bde., which has about 2,000 Soldiers, it is currently providing direct support to more than 80,000 Soldiers throughout Baghdad.
The 168th BSB has three primary missions in support of MND-B and Multi-National Division – Center. The 1,000 Soldiers of the "Make It Happen" battalion provide supply, maintenance and distribution support throughout Iraq.
The battalion has received praise from every corner of their supported footprint. "The 168th BSB provides the best support I have ever experienced," said Lt. Col. Barry Diehl, the senior logistician for the 4th Infantry Division, MND-B.
The battalion established a goal to improve operations every day and Soldiers have seized upon the battalion motto of "Make It Happen" and have succeeded in providing unmatched support. The battalion is responsible for distributing supplies to many of the brigade combat teams in the Baghdad area.
In that capacity, the 168th BSB has completed more than 2,000 combat logistics patrols, covering more than 1.2 million miles without a single accident, serious injury or death.
Lt. Col. Todd Heussner, the commander of the 168th BSB, attributes this amazing accomplishment to the establishment and enforcement of high standards and discipline of his Soldiers.
"It's no accident that we don't have accidents. Our Soldiers understand that they are their brother's keeper and they don't let any of their team mates take shortcuts," Heussner said.
The warehouse, which is manned and operated by the Soldiers of Company A, 168th BSB, is the busiest supply support activity in all of Iraq. The Soldiers who run the warehouse are proud of the fact that while they are the busiest, they also lead the Army in several key performance metrics.
"We are proud of the hard work that our Soldiers do, but we are even more proud of the manner in which they perform it," said Capt. Curtis Yankie, the commander of Company A, 168th BSB. "We routinely receive positive comments from our supported units about the positive and aggressive service they receive at our warehouse."
The mechanics of Company B, 168th BSB, are also performing amazingly well. The maintenance shops of Company B, 168th BSB, completed more than 2,800 jobs in the past month and none of the repairs have taken more than 30 days to complete.
"I have never seen a battalion-level maintenance activity perform so much work, so effectively and efficiently," said Heussner.
The battalion has also achieved some important milestones that are clear indicators of a unit with high morale and strong leaders. The 168th BSB received the 4th Infantry Division Reenlistment Award for being the "top battalion" in the division.
The battalion accomplished their reenlistment mission for the year in four months. In addition to retaining Soldiers, the battalion has also retained all of its officers while adding another 21 Soldiers to their ranks.
The 21 Soldiers were accepted into Reserve Officer Training Corps, Green to Gold, or Officer Candidate School, all of which are designed to train and commission officers into the Army.
"Soldiers are getting the training, discipline and challenge they signed up for and they are excited about continuing their Army careers," Heussner added.
All of these accomplishments are clear indicators of a high performing organization.
While the deployed Soldiers provide outstanding support in theater, the Rear Detachment and the Family Readiness Group combined forces to take care of the families back at home.
The Rear Detachment started the deployment with a strength of 82 in July 2007. Since that time, they have successfully helped Soldiers get required medical attention and either deployed them to join the team in Iraq or helped them transition from the military.
The 168th BSB's FRG is the largest, most active, and most supportive group that Yasmine Malone, Fort Sill's Army Family Team Building coordinator, has seen since she has been working with the Army. The FRG understands that they are as important to the war as the Soldiers who are deployed.
"If our spouses are concerned about what is going on at home then they can't focus on their mission in Iraq, so we take care of the families, while they take care of the mission. Together, we make it happen," said Donna Rivera, the wife of Command Sgt. Maj. Miguel Rivera, the 168th BSB senior enlisted leader.
The Soldiers of the 168th BSB have exceeded established Department of the Army standards in every measureable area and they have been recognized in a number of other ways that, when combined, make a strong case that the battalion is about to attain their goal of becoming the best support battalion in the Army.
Col. Kevin O'Connell, commander of the 1st Sustainment Brigade, summed it up nicely when he said, "The 168th Brigade Support Battalion is performing sustainment functions in support of MND-B and MND-C better than it's ever been done in the Army."
The world-class support provided by the Soldiers in Iraq and the families at home exemplify the battalion's motto, "Make It Happen."
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2008 11:42 |
| Story ID: | 18735 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 213 |
| Downloads: | 72 |
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