Photo By Sgt. Alexander Snyder | Sgt. 1st Class Mathew T. Greene, a resident of Philadelphia, and support operations...... read more read more
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The unit may have seemed like an unlikely candidate to be the first to do anything. After all, it had virtually no lineage and, until a few months ago, had never stepped foot in a combat zone.
But a first it was when the 100th Brigade Support Battalion, an active-component unit from Fort Sill, Okla., deployed to Afghanistan March 28.
The 100th BSB has the distinction of being among the first Army units to deploy to Afghanistan from Iraq. This move comes as a result of the increased capabilities of Iraqi security forces.
According to the Army's 44th Military History Detachment, this marks the first time a logistics unit deployed from one combat theater to another unattached to a larger combined arms formation.
"Historically, this is a big deal for this organization," said Lt. Col. Brent D. Bush, the commander of the 100th BSB.
Bush, who deployed to the Middle East twice before, said he is very excited about his unit's move to Afghanistan and appreciates the opportunity to command it.
"It's a new chapter and a fast moving chapter for this battalion," Bush said.
According to current Department of Defense policy, the length of the 100th BSB's 12-month deployment will not be affected by the move; the unit is still expected to redeploy to the U.S. as scheduled next winter.
Beginning in December 2008, the unit of 86 Soldiers provided logistical support to coalition forces in western and central Iraq as part of the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary). The unit also worked closely with Iraqi security forces logistical units to increase their capabilities.
Now the 100th BSB is preparing to provide logistical support to forces in southern Afghanistan, marking the second occasion its colors have flown in a combat zone since its reactivation in 2006.
Command Sgt. Maj. Bryant D. Williams, the senior non-commissioned officer of the 100th BSB, said he too is excited for the move to Afghanistan.
"It's like anything – excited because we really get to work, the Soldiers really get to see what they can do," Williams said. "And ultimately it makes the tour go by faster."
Williams, who has also deployed to the Middle East twice before, said the unit has kept busy by training for the new mission – training which included physical conditioning to prepare Soldiers for the environmental changes they will face in Afghanistan.
"Altitude is going to place some challenges on our Soldiers," Williams said.
After receiving warning about a mission change in early March, the 100th BSB began training on a number of other tasks that could prove useful to the mission in Afghanistan, including night vision goggle familiarization, Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle training, combat lifesaver training and weapons familiarization.
When asked how the command has prepared Soldiers for a different combat environment, Williams replied: "The first thing you have to do is tell them the truth ... [Joint Base Balad] is nowhere near what Afghanistan is going to be like."
Williams said he feels his unit is prepared for the new mission, with one allowance – the unknown.
"You don't know what you don't know until you get there," he said.
"We've tried to give our Soldiers confidence in their training, their equipment and their ability," Williams said. "If they do what is right, then everything will be alright."
Bush said he also believes his unit is ready for the new mission.
"They'll step up to this challenge," he said.
For now, the buildings once occupied by the 100th BSB are empty – that is, except for the leftover furniture, power cables and a message scrawled across a whiteboard by a departed Soldier:
"From one fight to another ... 100th BSB ... when we do it, we do it big!"
| Date Taken: | 04.07.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 04.07.2009 03:05 |
| Story ID: | 32097 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 1,015 |
| Downloads: | 496 |
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