18th CSSB leaders see alliance building firsthand in Romania

By 1st Lt. Jose FloresSeptember 1, 2015

18th CSSB leaders see alliance building firsthand in Romania
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - Spc. Freia R. Smith, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, walks Task Force Warhammer Forge Soldiers through procedures prior to using the M1120A cargo tr... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
18th CSSB leaders see alliance building firsthand in Romania
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - Task Force Warhammer Forge Soldiers take a group photo in front of the NATO, Romanian, and American flags at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base July 23. The American Flag was at half-mast in honor of the U.S. Marines killed J... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
18th CSSB leaders see alliance building firsthand in Romania
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania -- 18th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion Commander, Lt. Col. Robb Meert, describes the importance of Atlantic Resolve -- South to Task Force Warhammer Forge at the Dining Facility at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase July 2... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
18th CSSB leaders see alliance building firsthand in Romania
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania - From left to right: Cpt. Arturo Harvey, Task Force Warhammer Forge Commander, Col. Adrian Visili, Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase Commander, Lt. Col. Robb Meert, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion Commander, 18th Com... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

MIHAIL KOGALNICEANU, Romania -- Task Force Warhammer Forge (TF WF) Soldiers received their command team of Lt. Col. Robb Meert and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Uhlig, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, with motivation, shouting their motto "Hammer Time!" at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase, Romania July 23.

Meert and Uhlig stressed the importance of supporting Atlantic Resolve - South while taking care of Soldiers in a forward deployed environment at breakfast before they trained on recovery and transportation operations using cargo trucks and wreckers.

"I have been in this Army for a long time, and I have seen good and bad leaders in my career," said Sgt. 1st Class Landron Tonge, a human resources specialist from the 406th Human Resource Company attached to the 18th CSSB. "I can tell you right now, we are in good hands with our command team."

TF WF Soldiers show casted their expertise in their military occupation specialties (MOS), during their training events, which involved Romanian Soldiers and Airmen.

"We have so many great specialists in our Task Force, they impressed me with the knowledge they have and many of them are ready to be a noncommissioned officers," said Sgt. Lorenzo Mann, a motor transport operator from 1st Inland Cargo Transfer Company. "I can execute any mission with them right now because they have earned my trust."

After a great day of training, the command team met with key leaders, including Maj. David Maldonado, 4-3 MEDEVAC Company Commander, who displayed his unit's capabilities and highlighted training that his Soldiers completed over the last month and a half in Romania.

Meert and his team also met with Romanian Air Force Col. Adrian Visili, the Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase Commander, in the Romanian Distinguished Visitors Salon, where both parties sat on furniture once used by the communist regime of the 1950s. Meert and Visili discussed a future in which the U.S. Army and the Romanian military will improve the interoperability between these North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliances.

The command visit continued to build motivation for their Soldiers away from garrison and their Families and friends. Meert said during breakfast, "even though it isn't a combat deployment, it's still a deployment and hard to be away from home. I want to thank each and every one of you and stress the importance of your mission here in Romania."