Courtesy Photo | Surrounded by mail, Staff Sgt. Oliver Arviso, works his way through packages that are...... read more read more
Subscribe
by Spc. Lee Elder
133d Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAQUABAH, Iraq (Jan. 21, 2006) " They come from different backgrounds and hold different job identifiers, but members of an Army Reserve unit have banded together to accomplish the task of getting mail to 3,800 Soldiers at four base camps in northern Iraq.
Soldiers with the 4/394th Postal Company, based out of Long Beach, California, are a blended lot. They come from Army Reserve units across California and Arizona, and all but one of the 18 platoon members are new to the postal field.
"They were all rushed through the postal school pretty quickly," said Staff Sgt. Oliver Arviso, a 15-year veteran who hails from Mesa, Ariz. "They picked up on it pretty quickly, and now you could never tell that they haven't spent the majority of their military careers doing postal work."
The platoon's leader, 2nd Lt. Kate McIsaac, went one step further. She said her Soldiers didn't even meet each other until they were mobilized last fall, but were succeeding despite the fact that only Arviso had worked in the postal field prior to this assignment.
"For them to have done such an amazing job just blows my mind," McIsaac said. "I would put them against any active-duty postal unit, and I don't think you would see any difference."
Some of the platoon's Soldiers are infantry and field artillerymen, while others are laundry and bath specialists or truck drivers. Now, all of them work to ensure fellow Soldiers get their mail.
The Army Reservists arrived here in November and were immediately hit with a two-pronged rush. Not only was it the Holiday season, but the posts were in the midst of a transition from the 3rd Infantry Division to the 4th Infantry Division.
Normally, platoon members average 8,800 pounds of incoming mail daily. However, during the Holiday season and transition period, the load nearly doubled to 16,000 pounds.
"It was really hectic," said Pfc. Crystal Bruno, a New York City native whose husband, Clarence Martin, is a Marine stationed at Miramar, Calif. "We opened two windows and had people lined up all around the building.
"Still, it went well. People were patient and nobody got an attitude."
The postal Soldiers themselves work to maintain a good attitude. Despite hectic days when there's a lot to do, they remember why they are here.
On this particular mail day, there are two railroad cars full of mail, packages and footlockers. It looks overwhelming, but it's a normal load. Mail days come three or four days each week.
Soldiers are busy sorting and processing the mail while a CD from the West Coast band Coheed & Cambria blares in the background. The mail moves quickly to containers (the reason for the change- "palate" is the roof of the mouthâ?¦) bound for the posts stationed throughout north-central Iraq.
Sgt. Joseph Chang is a Los Angeles native. He is an Infantryman by trade turned mail handler.
"I see what a lot of my fellow infantry Soldiers are doing," Chang said. "That's why me and my fellow Soldiers are doing our best to support them and keep their morale high."
Often, Spc. Jason Cotton is stationed at an outlying post where he is the lone mail handler. The Phoenix native is here today working alongside his fellow platoon members.
"It's very satisfying helping Soldiers by getting their mail," Cotton said. "Everybody knows what it's like to get mail."
McIsaac, who is a law student at Whittier, said her Soldiers maintain their enthusiasm for the mission despite its never-ending demands. They work long hours to get the job done.
"We stay until the mail is gone," she said.
usar
| Date Taken: | 02.03.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 02.03.2006 10:50 |
| Story ID: | 5303 |
| Location: | BAQUBAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 349 |
| Downloads: | 168 |
This work, USAR Postal, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
