DRINK WATER! 301ST QUARTERMASTER COMPANY KEEPS NORTHERN STRIKE HYDRATED.

Photo By Sgt. Donna Swan | U.S. Army Reserve Soldier with the 301st Quartermaster Company, out of Grand Rapids, Michigan stands guard at the main entry point of his camp, as part of Northern Strike 19. In the background, a Tactical Water Purification System and full water bags sit off the shore of Bear Lake. July 25, 2019. Northern Strike 19 is a National Guard Bureau sponsored exercise, uniting service members from more than 20 states, multiple service branches, and numerous coalition countries during the last two weeks of July 2019 at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center and the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, both located in Northern Michigan and operated by the Michigan National Guard. (U.S. Army National Guard photo my Sgt. Donna Bellot)  

GRAYLING , MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES

07.25.2019

Story by Sgt. Donna Swan 

Virgin Islands National Guard, 51st Public Affairs Detachment

“Drink water!” A senior noncommissioned officer yells somewhere at a training site. It’s summertime; it’s hot outside and units have been running drills at various sites covering the 147,000 acres of Camp Grayling. A water buffalo tucked in a shaded area is common. Water is essential; water is necessary, yet, very little thought is given to where that water comes from. At Northern Strike 19, thirty members of the 301st Quartermaster Company out of Grand Rapids, Michigan have been providing water to their 6,000 counterparts.

Nestled on the shores of Bear Lake, they have been at their camp since July 14th, 2019. A Tactical Water Purification System and a Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit sit a few feet away from the water. They’ve set their sleeping tents, their Tactical Operations Center and their perimeter near the ROWPU’s and TWPS. They man the ROWPU’s and TWPS 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.

During any 8-hour period they can produce 5000 gallons of purified water; they have the capabilities to produce 36,000 gallons in a dat at full operation. Every hour they test each bag of water they’ve produced to ensure they’re maintaining safe levels of chlorine, while preventing the growth of harmful bacteria in the water.

“It’s drinkable water. We do potable water and we also do laundry and bath water,” said Cadet Connor Denning, 1st platoon leader of the 301st.

In addition to purifying and providing water for use at Northern Strike 19, the 301st must also provide defense for the camp. Their mission simulates purifying water and protecting their product during combat. Water is a precious commodity to the overall mission of defense forces and it is very much a target to the enemy. It must be protected.

Soldiers are stationed at various points on the perimeter providing security. At the shore of the lake, the ROWPU and TWPS hum as water is pumped from the lake to be purified. Two soldiers work to ensure the machines are running. They test the chlorine levels and ensure the filters are still clear, along with whatever else is necessary to produce the water. As of July 25th, 2019—four days into the exercise—they have produced approximately 61,782 gallons of water to provide to service members from nearly 20 states and seven foreign allies.

At other sites not too far away, a marine is filling his hydration bladder; a senior NCO is telling his troops to stay hydrated; and a soldier is doing a load of laundry. Water is essential to the mission.

Where water is being utilized, the soldiers of the 301st Quartermaster Company are hard at work.

• Date Taken: 07.25.2019
• Date Posted: 07.26.2019 10:46
• Story ID: 333182
• Location: GRAYLING , MICHIGAN, US