Photo By 1st Lt. Anna Doo | Spc. Terrie D. Charlie, part of the Material Management Cell here at Camp Bondsteel,...... read more read more
CAMP BONDSTELL, Kosovo - Many of the U.S. Army’s unsung heroes are those working in the background to keep everything running without a hitch. Some of these individuals fill roles of supply personnel, maintenance specialists, quality control clerks and a plethora of other professionals under the umbrella of logistics.
One of these soldiers is Spc. Terrie D. Charlie, stationed at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, as part of Multinational Battle Group East Kosovo Forces 14 rotation for the peacekeeping mission here. Charlie is an integral part of the material management cell here and hails from Coyote Canyon, N.M., and Tempe, Ariz.
Just like many soldiers within logistics, Charlie performs more than one job. She is the standard Army maintenance system clerk and sustainment automation support management office non-commissioned officer in charge.
The SAMS2 is an automated system used to conduct daily reports both incoming from units within the structure here and outgoing to the higher command. Some additional duties of the SAMS2 clerk include occasionally assisting the fuel laboratory, producing military vehicle operator licenses, and controlling and securing keys for the MMC section.
Charlie is also the SASMO non-commissioned officer in charge and as such offers direct support for all standard Army management information systems. These systems include multiple computer subsystems used in logistics.
Charlie is the local information technology guru on each of the subsystems and oftentimes performs troubleshooting tasks on the STAMIS computers throughout Camp Bondsteel. Charlie said one of the best aspects of her job is the opportunity to learn something new each day by being able to use her current knowledge to fix an issue on one of the systems.
“A lot of my job I’ve learned here; it’s never what I thought I’d be doing on deployment,” Charlie said. “Now I know where to look to troubleshoot the STAMIS system. It’s like trying to put a huge puzzle together; you try and try to fit the pieces until one fits perfectly.”
Charlie said she enjoys staying busy and learning on the job.
“It’s not a hard deployment,” she said. “All you have to do is wake up and do your job. It’s not a stressful environment. I like staying busy. I think that’s what makes it [the deployment] go. Staying busy keeps my mind off of home.”
Home is where Charlie’s two sons are. She said this is the first time she has been apart from them but makes every effort to stay connected by talking to them almost daily and just recently video chatted with them over the Internet for the first time. Charlie mentioned that her youngest son, Sean, who is 4 years old, thought his mom was inside the computer during the video call.
It’s the little things that keep Charlie going even though she misses her children. She recently received a care package from home that included a box of rainbow colored goldfish crackers. Charlie said the goldfish are Sean’s favorite snack and having them here offers a tie back home. Charlie said she misses her children but is planning to take them to Disneyland during her upcoming rest and recuperation.
Focusing on the task at hand, Charlie said it is nice to realize she is an asset to the deployment and a vital part of the behind-the-scenes personnel who keep the deployment wheel running smoothly. She said it’s easy to see how each person’s role keeps everything operating well.
According to Charlie, each day offers another opportunity to learn a new aspect of her duties and responsibilities. She steadfastly adheres to the desire to continue to advance in her role within logistics and is willing to learn any new task set before her.
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.29.2011 07:10 |
| Story ID: | 72933 |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Web Views: | 35 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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