Greywolf packs up to head back to Fort Hood

Photo By Spc. Sharla Lewis | Soldiers with Forward Support Co. G, 2nd Bn., 82nd Field Artillery Regt., clean out a container that will be used to load their gear to be shipped back to the U.S. before they return to Fort Hood, Texas.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

11.09.2009

Story by Sgt. Christopher Kozloski 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq — There are many things that cross a Soldier's mind when he or she is deployed: the long flight overseas, putting their boots on foreign soil for the first time, being away from their loved ones for an extended period of time, or the long, stressful workdays throughout the deployment.

One milestone that marks the close of a deployment is often not heard about except in small circles of Soldiers that are discussing its tedious, albeit rewarding process; loading up their gear to head home.

3rd "Greywolf" Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers have begun the packing process which will eventually lead to their return to Fort Hood, Texas, which will officially end their year-long deployment to Mosul, Iraq, which started in December of 2008.

"Everyone is excited," said Cpl. Jennifer Nicholson, the supply non-commissioned officer for Forward Support Company G, 2nd Bn., 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd HBCT. "Everyone wants to pack to go home because it means it's getting closer to us leaving."

In the face of that excitement, the packing process itself is a daunting task that requires attention to detail and a lot of hard work for the Soldiers.

"The packing process is long and tedious. We start by identifying the non-essential stuff that we don't need right away and pack that up and start the paperwork to inventory it all and have a good count," said Sgt. 1st Class Michael Kinnerk, a platoon sergeant with Forward Support Co. G. "Anything that is packed has to also be accounted for so that if it gets lost in transition, we can do the proper paperwork for reimbursement. Inventory is done by the platoon sergeants and squad leaders so that we can make sure it is all accounted for."

Once the units have gathered up the items that need to be packed, they have to go through a thorough inspection process.

"Trained customs inspectors will come and look at all our equipment to make sure we aren't taking anything back that is not authorized," said Sgt. 1st Class Kinnerk, who is from McHenry, Ill.

By the end of their deployment, 3rd HBCT will have packed up and inspected more than 3.5 million pounds of equipment to be shipped back to the U.S before leaving Iraq according the Sgt. 1st Class Scott Smith, 3rd HBCT's mobility non-commissioned officer and San Antonio, Texas, native.

As the Soldiers pack, they begin to think about the things they want to do when they get back to Fort Hood. For them it's a welcome thought as they wade through palletized equipment and trunks full of military gear and pack it into a large metal shipping container.

"The first thing I plan to do is go out to dinner with the wife and kids," said Sgt. 1st Class Kinnert, "and say hi to my dog."

He also recapped his deployment and said that over the course of the year he has had the opportunity to work with a truly professional group of Soldiers. He said he was proud to have served on this deployment with them.

The packing process comes in the midst of still ongoing operations and mission handovers with 3rd HBCT's replacements. Though this is a milestone for Soldiers to look forward to, the Soldiers know that there is still much to be done.

"The days are a little longer but it's worth it," said Cpl. Nicholson, a Sumter, S.C., native. "We have new units coming in to replace us that we are training with. We are packing, making sure inventories are correct, checking equipment all over the forward operating base and making sure the Soldiers are taken care of before we leave."

However, packing up to head back to Fort Hood, Texas, is only a small part of 3 HBCT's mission in Ninewah province. The Soldiers are still conducting full spectrum operations in northern Iraq while preparing to head home. They remain dedicated to their mission until the day they get on a plane with a successful deployment in their duffel bags.

• Date Taken: 11.09.2009
• Date Posted: 11.09.2009 02:31
• Story ID: 41284
• Location: MOSUL, IQ