BAUMHOLDER, Germany -- Soldiers from the 515th Transportation Company, 39th Trans. Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade began a 1,400-mile road march August 17 to Bulgaria, where they are providing fuel to sustain Europe's largest multinational airborne operation since the Cold War.
Exercise Swift Response will take place in four European countries, three of which will rely on 515th Trans. Co. fuel assets.
Swift Response allows the 515th Trans. Co. to demonstrate its ability to extend the reach of combat units. With equipment deployed to Germany, Romania, and Bulgaria, the 515th Trans. Co. is supporting 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, as they work alongside 11 nations to maintain a strong Europe.
"We sustain them while they are getting ready for their big jumps in Germany and Bulgaria," said Sgt. 1st Class Easton Purkiss, a platoon sergeant and Irvington, New Jersey native. "They serve as the Army's Global Response Force and we serve them. We have to be ready to deploy at a moment's notice. Our unit's distribution operations are essentially a quick reaction force, always on call in case the 1 - 82 requires an emergency fuel push."
"I like knowing that I empower the fight," said 515th Trans Co. Quick Reaction Force crewmember Spc. Jacob Paxton of Columbia, Missouri.
Once the Soldiers reach their destination of Novo Selo, Bulgaria, they will have crossed four international borders, an important task in and of itself while transporting fuel, and furthered relationships, which are key in ensuring quick freedom of movement through Allied countries.
"So far I've had a great experience in the countries through which we've convoyed," said Staff Sgt. Ordis Boykins, a Swift Response convoy commander and St. Petersburg, Florida native. "The bases have welcomed us and the people in the towns are nice, especially in Hungary. Meeting people and experiencing their cultures is the best part of these exercises."
The crews have worked out of Rhine Ordnance Barracks in Kaiserslautern, Germany to support Swift Response 15 operations since August 15 and deployed their tank and pump unit, a fuel transport and disbursal system.
"It's great to see diverse equipment getting into the fight. It goes to show that our heavy wheeled vehicle operators are proficient in convoy and fuelng operations," said 515th Trans. Co.'s 1st Sgt. Michael Kendrick, a Lancaster, California native.
515th Trans. Co. crews supporting Allied Spirit in Hohenfels, Germany are prepared to extend their stay in anticipation of the Swift Response 15 joint forces airborne operations and follow on training exercise.
Staff Sgt. Valerie Roda, a squad leader and a native of Sinajana, Guam, is 1st Platoon's senior noncommissioned officer in charge of the unit's fuel assets in Hohenfels. "The missions out here are teaching us a lot. We have two missions next week to conduct bulk fuel transfers to the Czechs and the Canadians," said Roda.
Exercises like Swift Response enable the 515th Trans. Co. to train while it operates and validate the unit's tradition of multi-national sustainment capabilities.
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