Photo By Gail Anderson | Master Sgt. Dartalian Harris (right) helps Pfc. Dennis Shelton get through a Soldier...... read more read more
FORT JACKSON, S.C. - During a typical week, the 81st Regional Support Command Soldier Readiness Processing team will process between 50 and 200 soldiers that are about to deploy overseas.
“Optimally, I have a staff of about 37 mobilized Soldiers on the team,” said Master Sgt. Dartalian Harris.
Harris is the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 81st SRP team and he said that the team’s mission is to ensure that all deploying soldiers have been cleared through Level 2 of the SRP procedure.
“My team supports the war on terrorism by ensuring that we, more than ever before, send Soldiers that are more mentally and medically fit to the mob site,” added Harris.
Harris said that there are actually three levels of SRP; Level 1 is given to the soldier back at his/her home station, Level 2 is received 30-60 days prior to the soldier arriving at the mobilization site and Level 3 is given while the Soldier is at the mob station.
“Level 2 is what we’re here for – a lot of the soldier’s information should have already been updated at home station – we’re here to make sure it has been. We’re more of a ‘check and balance’ system,” said Harris.
“The level 2 SPR wasn’t designed to actually have a soldier go through the entire process over again and take three, four, or five days. It’s to make sure that you’re validated and that you have completed the process before arriving at your mob site,” continued Harris.
However, Harris said some parts of the SRP process cannot be avoided during Level 3: “For example, HIV shots have to be administered within three months of deployment, so everyone will have an HIV done; for females, a pregnancy test has to be done, so those are some things that will be done again and it doesn’t matter if you’ve already done that, you’ll still have to go through it again at Level 3,” said Harris.
During an SRP, a soldier will routinely go through about seven different checkpoints to include the personnel, security, finance, legal, chaplain, inspector general and medical stations.
To a soldier who has never deployed before, an SRP might seem like a harrowing experience but for Auburn, Ala. native Pfc. Dennis Shelton, a motor transport operator with the 941st Transportation Company, this was not the case.
“When we first got here I thought it was going to be, everyday, tons of paperwork but I’m surprised that I’m almost finished and this is just my second day. It’s not at all what I expected, everything went very smoothly,” said Shelton.
This jubilation is also being echoed by the more battle hardened soldiers who have deployed before.
“I would say the staff was pretty comforting, helpful and knowledgeable and very professional in what they do. In my opinion, I don’t see how any improvement is needed. I don’t see how they could make this any easier,” said Spc. Jesse King.
King, also from the 941st, deployed to Camp Arifjan, Kuwait in 2007 and says this SRP is a lot better than the first one he went through.
“This one [SRP] seems to be better organized and runs a lot faster. In my opinion, its run a lot smoother,” added King.
The entire SRP team takes pride in the fact that they have seemingly streamlined the process and made it more efficient for soldiers.
The SRP team is the last line of defense in ensuring that the soldier is good to go, before he or she gets to the mob site and Harris is very proud of his team and the job they are doing.
“I love this team. I have a mixture of older, experienced, staff members and young, enthusiastic, soldiers who are aggressive ‘go-getters’ who want to be leaders and who want to be here,” said Harris.
| Date Taken: | 10.27.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2010 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 58915 |
| Location: | FORT JACKSON, S.C., US |
| Web Views: | 2,531 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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