Courtesy Photo | Charis Ford presents an updated command supply disciple program checklist to one of...... read more read more
VICENZA, Italy – It’s not uncommon for a servicemember from the Air Force, Navy, Marines or even the Coast Guard to complete his or her active-duty service requirement and transition over to the Army as one of over 250,000 Army civilian employees in over 500 career paths.
Charis Ford is one of those Army civilians. The Logistics Readiness Center Italy employee has served nearly 10 years as an Army civilian, and before that she was active-duty Air Force working in cargo and personal property transportation management for almost 10 more.
Ford was initially hired at LRC Italy in February of 2021 as the chief of the Personal Property Processing Office, or PPPO, responsible for managing household goods shipments for the U.S. Army Garrison Italy community. And before that, she worked at LRC Fort Leavenworth as a traffic manager. Now, with almost a decade as an Army civilian, Ford said she’s worked with and met many great leaders during her time.
“It’s interesting to transition from one service to another, but I’ve met so many great people in the Army, and I’ve had some really great Army transportation leaders, especially at Fort Leavenworth,” said Ford, who also has a transportation mentor at LRC Benelux working as the installation transportation officer.
“There are also some really good leaders here at LRC Italy, as well, but in my field of transportation I’ve had so many great leaders throughout my entire time who have challenged me to really dig in and learn my craft. I’m glad to be a part of the Army team, now. Happy 250th birthday, U.S. Army!” Ford said.
Ford now manages LRC Italy’s command supply disciple program, or CSDP. Going from PPPO and then transportation support operations to now managing CSDP in plans and operations has been a series of challenging transitions for her, she said.
Ford, who turns 40 in October and calls Kansas City home, said her duties as the CSDP manager includes meeting with all the hand receipt holders and conducting inspections to ensure their documentation is in order. She also works closely with the property book office to ensure information accuracy, and together with PBO she conducts training to make certain her customers fully understand all their responsibilities when it comes to property management and supply discipline.
“I make sure the hand receipt holders are in compliance with the regulations and the inspection guidelines, and I make sure they're doing their inventories,” said Ford who is also the contracting officer representative for the local national restaurant on Caserme Ederle. “I handle the reconciliation of the invoicing and ensure that the money in the system is correct on the manual invoice that is sent over and essentially sent forward for payment out on the contract.”
LRC Italy is one of eight LRCs under the command and control of the 405th Army Field Support Brigade. LRCs execute installation logistics support and services to include supply, maintenance, transportation, and food service management as well as clothing issue facility operations, hazardous material management, personal property and household goods, passenger travel, property book operations, and non-tactical vehicle and garrison equipment management. When it comes to providing day-to-day installation services, LRC Italy directs, manages, and coordinates a variety of operations and activities in support of USAG Italy.
The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany. The brigade provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging U.S. Army Materiel Command’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.
The Army will celebrate its 250th birthday on June 14. For 250 years, the Army has offered endless possibilities and opportunities for service to our nation with over 200 career choices for Soldiers and more than 500 career paths for civilians. To learn more about the Army’s 250th birthday, visit www.army.mil/1775 and check out the DVIDS’s special Army birthday feature portal at www.dvidshub.net/feature/ARMY250.
| Date Taken: | 04.03.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2025 05:36 |
| Story ID: | 494445 |
| Location: | VICENZA, IT |
| Hometown: | KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 55 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, LRC Italy employee on Army’s 250th: ‘I’ve had some really great Army transportation leaders’, by Cameron Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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