Photo By Staff Sgt. Tiffany Evans | Sgt. 1st Class John Shumafe, a native of Newton, Kan., helps to hold up a cargo net...... read more read more
By Spc. Tiffany Evans
Multi-National Division-Center
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq – On a chilly November morning in Iraq about a dozen Soldiers gathered at Baghdad International Airport to take part in a palletizing and movement class.
As the sun peeked out, helping to warm the air the Soldiers from the Division Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division gathered around an empty pallet and began a class on the basics of palletizing.
Sgt. 1st Class Erika Meuse with Headquarters Support Company was the battalion unit movement officer before the deployment and will be for the redeployment.
Meuse, Milwaukee, makes sure that each company has movement teams, arranges their classes and coordinates with whoever is providing the movement.
"My job is to make sure that the UMOs and their teams are prepared ahead of time and that we are not teaching people how to palletize the day of," said Meuse. "My goal is to make it a quick and smooth process when redeploying."
Redeploying is one of the biggest things that can hold up units from going home, added Meuse. Improperly packing and palletizing a unit's cargo will frustrate the shipment and it can take days or weeks to fix the problem all the while stopping troop movement.
"I help to make sure that every company, unit or section has Soldiers who know how to move their equipment out of country," Meuse said. "Before we deployed we didn't have a clear cut plan like this and we learned from that."
When 10th Mtn. redeploys everything has to be to standard otherwise the equipment will get frustrated at the port and may get misplaced and never seen again, said Capt. Andrea Kuhlman, HSC, battalion S-4.
"Each company in the battalion has designated UMOs and people to help them. We need a lot of people to help with setting up the equipment at BIAP when it comes time to redeploy," said the native of Valparaiso, Ind. "Lots of manpower is needed to make sure it's done correctly and by the book."
Soldiers are going to be needed ahead of time in Kuwait in order to receive the shipment and make sure it is washed and set up properly. Also Soldiers will need to be at Fort Drum to receive, Kuhlman said.
One Soldier who volunteered to help her UMO's, Spc. Theresa Escarciga, B Company, was excited to be in the class. She said the class was a good refresher for her and while learning new things such as how to secure a container to a pallet.
"I want to make sure this is done properly so we can all get back to the U.S. when the time comes," said the El Paso, Texas native. "I know as soon as I start palletizing our stuff that I will be going home soon and that just makes me smile."
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2008 02:58 |
| Story ID: | 26475 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 288 |
| Downloads: | 241 |
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