Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Houx | Pfc. Kiersten Müther, transportation movement request associate for the 538th...... read more read more
By Spc. Elizabeth Gorenc
Camp Atterbury Public Affairs
CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind. – By the time they get to Iraq, the 538th Transportation Company Detachment, Movement Control, from Manhattan, Kan., will be more than familiar with the idea of transportation. Using four different training sites over the span of three months, the detachment constantly traveled to prepare for its fall overseas deployment.
Maj. Gilbert Buentello, the commander for the 538th, said that the constant movement between training sites was due to the availability of facilities, but has not been a problem or put a strain on training.
"We gelled very quickly and have become a great little family," he said. "We do everything together and that really shows in the cohesion throughout our training."
Coming together as a whole group for the first time early July, the detachment immediately began training in Kansas via classroom instruction.
They then moved to Fort Dix, N.J., for three weeks to conduct warrior training and then left for Camp Shelby, Miss.
While at Camp Shelby, the detachment focused on mission specific exercise. They completed training on the battle command sustainment support system in order to learn how to track convoys throughout the country while on deployment. They also trained with the remote frequency identification system to better prepare themselves to track storage containers moving through the area of operations.
Buentello said that the training completed at Camp Shelby prepared Soldiers for their main missions once in theater.
"We are going to be running movement control operations for convoy and airfield operations," he said. "We will also be checking security of products and equipment as we track and document their movement."
After mastering the tracking systems, the detachment returned to their home station. There, they completed combat life saver training. They also held a Family Day with a departure ceremony.
Following that, the 538th arrived at Camp Atterbury. Once here, the unit updated medical, dental, and administrative deficiencies and, among other training, completed language familiarization and counterinsurgency training which is used to understand foreign culture and distinguish between insurgents and the general population. The detachment also trained at Contingency Operating Location Warrior to work on entry control point security.
Pfc. Alex Sanchez, a transportation coordinator for the detachment, said that the training has not been easy, but his non-commissioned officers and teamwork with fellow Soldiers has made it easy to comprehend.
"The NCOs in this detachment have a good abundance of knowledge from their previous deployments," he said. "They know their stuff and they know what they are talking about."
Sgt. 1st Class Ryan Runyan, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 538th, said that the experience, the unit cohesion and the training completed throughout the U.S. all lent to the preparation of the detachment for their deployment.
"I am much better prepared now than I was on my previous deployment," he said. "We have all worked together through the training that has been really realistic."
"We may all be diverse, but we all interact great with each other," he added. "We are all green [uniforms] and seem completely ready for what we are about to do."
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2008 14:22 |
| Story ID: | 24636 |
| Location: | CAMP ATTERBURY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 376 |
| Downloads: | 216 |
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