Unit supply specialist Pfc. Alice Stokes, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, watches as Spc. Dwayne Jones, automated supply specialist, A Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div., moves Stokes’ unit supplies to her vehicle April 12 on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq. Stokes makes the journey to the Supply Support Activity warehouse daily to pick up valuable supplies for her unit. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 041507- 52
April 15, 2007


By Pfc. Bradley J. Clark
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs


FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq— The Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, are always in need of supplies to make their jobs run smoothly. It’s the job of the automated logistical specialists of A Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion to make sure the Soldiers get the supplies they need in a timely manner.

Company commander, Capt. Courtney Sugai, is in charge of the Supply Support Activities warehouse here and says the almost 4,400 items that the SSA stocks regularly, helps provide direct support to the 230 Department of Defense Activity Address Codes in the 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. area of operations.

The 230 different DODAACs each represent a different company’s supply sergeant or motor pool.

“After a soldier has requested something from their supply sergeant, the supply sergeant puts the order in the SARSS (Standard Army Retail Supply System),” said Sugai. “Once the order is in the SARSS, we check to see if it’s one of the items that we stock, if it is, then the storage section takes it over to the issue section and they put it in the unit’s pick-up box. If we don’t stock the item, then the SARSS system sends out the order to the company to have it shipped,” said Sugai.
Once an item has been ordered, it gets shipped to the SSA warehouse and the Soldiers in the receiving section are the first to see it.

“We wait for the trucks to come in,” said Spc. Margot Sinti, who works in the receiving section. “After the trucks come in, we pull the pallets down and sort through everything. After we sort through it all, we take it to where it needs to go, the storage section, the issue section, or the turn-in section. We do this pretty quickly. Sometimes it only takes us 30 minutes.”

“We have 24 hours to get everything to the different sections, but normally it only takes us a few hours,” said Pvt. Andre Barbosa, who also works in the receiving section, “We try to have everything ready the same day it comes in because we have customers that come in everyday. We get five to six trucks a day, seven days-a-week, at any time of the day. When the trucks come in, we have to check everything to make sure it’s accurate. If a box says it has 100 screws in it, then we have to count all 100 of them.”

After an Item has made its way through the receiving section, if it is something that the SSA warehouse stocks, it heads over to the storage section.

“When we get an item, we find out what it is and stock it in its proper location,” said Sgt. Theresa Sutton, storage section noncommissioned officer-in-charge. “If an item doesn’t have a certain location, then we create one for it, put the location in the SARSS, and then put the item in that location. After we see that a supply sergeant has placed an order for something that we stock, we send it over to the issue section so they can pick it up. We used to get 97 percent of the items that the receiving section would process, but now we only get about 5 percent of the items that come in due to authorized stock increases.”

The final stop an item makes before a supply sergeant can pick it up, is the issue section.

“After items have been received and checked in, they get brought to us,” said Spc. Dwayne Jones, who works in the issue section. “When we get the items, we sort them and put them in the proper customer pick-up areas. We have customers that come in everyday and then we have some that come only once a month because they are always in the field.”

When it comes to items that stand out in the SSA warehouse, the crew has thousands to choose from.

“We get anything from nuts that cost 1 cent to circuit cards that cost $20,000,” said Pfc. Ivan Martinez, also a member of the issue section. “Those circuit cards come in small boxes and you don’t think it’s anything, but it’s something.”
Even though the little items make a big impression in the storage and issue sections of the SSA warehouse, it’s the big stuff that stands out in the receiving section.
“We get everything from pens to engines,” said Barbosa. “The thing that amazed me the most was a tank engine that took up a whole pallet.”

Whatever it is that Soldiers need, the SSA warehouse makes sure that they get it as quickly as possible.


Automated supply specialist Spc. Dwayne Jones, A Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, moves a pallet of supplies to a customer’s vehicle, April 12. Jones works in the issue section of the Supply Support Activity warehouse on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Specialist Dwayne Jones, automated supply specialist, in the issue section of the Supply Support Activity warehouse, loads a pallet of supplies onto a vehicle for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, April 12. Jones is just one of the many Soldiers from A Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. who run the SSA warehouse on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)


Soldiers from A Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, like Spc. Dwayne Jones, who is loading a pallet of supplies onto a customer’s vehicle April 12, work in the Supply Support Activity warehouse on Forward Operating Base Marez, Mosul, Iraq. The SSA warehouse provides direct supply support to the 230 different companies in the 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. area of operations. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bradley J. Clark, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs)

Labels: 1st Cavalry Division photos, 2-7 Cavalry, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, 4BCT, FOB Marez, heroes, Iraq, Mosul

Combat medic Spc. Steve Stephens, C Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion, Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, opens a box of donated blankets he received from Blankets.com, Inc. The blankets are part of a mission Stephens founded called “Soldiers helping those in need—Iraq”. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kendra Evers, 27th Brigade Support Battalion)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 031407-38
March 14, 2007

By 1st Lt. Kendra Evers
27th Brigade Support Battalion

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq—Mail clerks in the 27th Brigade Support Battalion mail room have been noticing a steady stream of boxes of blankets being shipped to one of the Soldiers in C Company.

Combat medic Spc. Steve Stephens, a Portland, Ore., native, with the help of a blanket drive committee made up of fellow Soldiers in the BSB, has started a blanket drive to make a difference in the lives of the people living in northern Iraq.

“There are a large number of displaced Iraqis living in Mosul and the surrounding areas that don’t have a lot and could use a blanket or two,” Stephens explained. “Soldiers Helping Those in Need—Iraq is a mission of the heart and soul. Thousands of Iraqi people have no heat or electricity. It is our mission to make a positive difference in their lives; and as simple as a blanket may be to those back home, a blanket to those who have nothing is more of a necessity than it is a want.”

The blanket drive initially started as a toy drive for the orphans of Iraq, but Stephens found that there was a greater need for simple items, like blankets. His goal is to collect 2,000 blankets that will be distributed to Iraqis in need while on various humanitarian missions. In order to reach that goal, Stephens contacted a representative from www.blankets.com, Inc., to see if he could add “Soldiers helping those in need—Iraq” as an organization on their donation page. The company accepted his request and quickly added a “Soldiers” link to their “Donate a blanket” page on their Web site.

“When I received the e-mail from Specialist Stephens, I could tell by his letter that he was a very compassionate person who was truly moved by the condition of the Iraqi people where he was stationed in Mosul,” said Monica Barbuscia, general manager, Blankets.com, Inc.. “I was truly moved by the fact that he, and those who would be helping him, were there in Iraq risking their lives day after day, yet they had concern for the Iraqis around them. It made me cry, it made me proud to know the kind of people we have over there representing the U.S.A., and it made me want to help in any way I could. Blankets.com feels honored to be involved in getting blankets over to Iraq to help Specialist Stephens reach his goal of donating at least 2,000 blankets. It is a small thing compared to what he is doing,” she said.

The blankets cost just $8.50 including shipping, and are shipped directly to Stephens in Mosul, Iraq. Stephens hopes that by keeping the cost down and making the process as easy a few simple clicks, it will encourage more people to participate.
“We are hoping for the ripple effect,” said Stephens. “Once word gets out about this blanket drive, we hope that Soldiers will tell their families, friends, churches, and other organizations who will continue to spread the word.”

The blanket drive was started while it was still cold outside, Stephens explained, but even though the weather is starting to get warmer, the Iraqi people would still be able to use a blanket.

“Even during the driving heat of the summer they can be used as shelter from the heat, as a pillow, or even as something to cover the ground with so they don’t sleep on the dirt,” Stephens added, hoping that donations of blankets continue to increase as rapidly as the temperature.

In addition to starting the blanket drive, Stephens has also collected boxes of school supplies, Beanie Babies, and hats and gloves from various donors to give out to the children of Iraq as well.

His squad leader, Staff Sgt. Johnny Cheatham, said Stephens is one of those people who naturally has an eagerness to help others. “He’s like a big kid at heart,” smiled Cheatham. “He is one of the most highly-motivated individuals I’ve ever met.”

Stephens’ platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Warren Wright, agreed with Cheatham and added “Stephens epitomizes selfless service.”

“I think it’s a great thing for new Soldiers coming into the Army to be so eager to help others,” said 1st Sgt. Christopher Coleman, C Company, 27th BSB. “It’s a trait more people should have, not just Soldiers.”


Combat medic, Spc. Steve Stephens, stops to pose with local Iraqi children during his unit’s visit to several villages in northern Iraq to hand out humanitarian supplies. Stephens, a Portland, Ore., native, is collecting blankets on his personal time to distribute to the local people while he is deployed. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kendra Evers, 27th Brigade Support Battalion)

Labels: 27th Brigade Support Battalion, FOB Marez, Good News, Humanitarian Aid, Iraq, photos, US Army

Captain Jerry Stover, C Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion shows Iraqi Army soldiers medical examining techniques while he was on a Military Transition Team at Camp Zaytun, Irbil, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kendra Evers, 27th Brigade Support Battalion)


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SR# 031407- 37
March 14, 2007

By 1st Lt. Kendra Evers
27th Brigade Support Battalion

CAMP ZAYTUN, Iraq – Eight troops assigned to the 27th Brigade Support Battalion recently returned from a month-long training mission outside the city of Irbil, which is located just to the east of Mosul.

Their mission was to train two battalions of Iraqi soldiers in vehicle-related tasks.
“The Iraqi Soldiers have a general knowledge in maintenance now that we’ve trained them; but when we arrived, there were lots of challenges,” said Sgt. Blake Carlson, a mechanic in B Company who was among the Soldiers chosen to go.

Private Mark Maguregui, a fellow mechanic from B Company, 27th BSB, agreed with Carlson and added that because a Humvee starts very differently from typical civilian vehicles, many of the soldiers were unfamiliar with how to start the engine.

The primary focus was for the Soldiers from the 27th to train the Iraqis on roll-over drills, combat lifesaver training, driver’s training, basic preventative maintenance checks and services, and convoy procedures.

All of the Soldiers chosen to go were designated experts in their field – mechanics, medics, or infantrymen – and worked together to teach the Iraqis the basic skills they would need to operate as an effective army.

All the Soldiers that went said they enjoyed their time there, and saw it as a great experience to be able to teach Iraqis and see the results of their training.

“The littlest stuff meant so much to them,” said Spc. Devon Binyard, a Soldier from B Company’s gun truck platoon. “We don’t realize how much we take for granted, until we see things from their perspective.”

The BSB troops said they also learned a lot about the Iraqi culture, religion and lifestyle, and of the Iraqi’s gratitude toward American Soldiers.

“It was very rewarding to watch an Iraqi that you just taught how to do something turn around and show his buddy what he just learned,” said Binyard. “I told them we are here to help them.”

Overall, the group said they enjoyed the trip away from their daily routine back at Forward Operating Base Marez and would enjoy getting an opportunity to train the Iraqi troops again.


Mechanic Spc. Keith Wright, B Company, 27th Brigade Support Battalion works on a Humvee. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Kendra Evers, 27th Brigade Support Battalion)

Labels: 27th Brigade Support Battalion, Camp Zaytun, Good News, Iraq, Iraqi Army, Irbil, photos, US Army