Strykers from Colorado to California

By Sgt. William HowardOctober 5, 2015

Strykers from Colorado to California
1 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, begin a day of rail load operations in preparation for an upcoming deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 24, 2015. NTC is a major training center... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
2 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Sgt. Robert Thomas, team leader, Troop A, 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, guides a Soldier driving a Stryker with hand and arm signals during rail load operations, Aug. 24, 2015. Soldiers o... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
3 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Vehicles from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, align railcars awaiting delivery to the National Training Center rotation in Fort Irwin, Calif., during rail load operations, Aug. 24, 2015. NTC is a major training center for... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
4 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Staff Sgt. Joshua Whiteland, company operations noncommissioned officer in charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, inspects the paperwork for a container during rail load operations for a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
5 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Vehicles from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, are staged at the Fort Carson Bronco Yard in preparation for transportation to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., during rail load operations, Aug. 25, 2015. ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
6 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – A Stryker vehicle from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, is carefully driven along a rail car during rail load operations for an upcoming deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 26, 2015. All ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
7 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, secure a Stryker vehicle to a rail car with chains during rail load operations for deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 26, 2015. NTC is a major... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
8 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Cesar Robles, infantryman, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, guides a Soldier driving a Stryker with hand and arm signals during rail load operations, Aug. 26, 2015. Soldie... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
9 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Equipment, vehicles and containers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, align railcars awaiting delivery to the National Training Center rotation in Fort Irwin, Calif., during rail load operations, Aug. 26, 2015. NTC is a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
10 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Mobile Gun System Strykers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, align railcars awaiting delivery to the National Training Center rotation in Fort Irwin, Calif., during rail load operations, Aug. 26, 2015. NTC is a major t... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
11 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, work together to secure vehicles to a rail cars with chains during rail load operations for deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 26, 2015. "It'... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Strykers from Colorado to California
12 / 12 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, finish a long day of work at the rail head during rail load operations for deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug. 26, 2015. "It's been a pretty b... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CARSON, Colo. - Relief mixed with a slight drizzle of rain washed over a crowd of Soldiers as they finished a long day of rail load operations at Fort Carson, Aug. 26, 2015.

Soldiers of the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, worked tirelessly throughout the week to load and secure more than 1700 containers and vehicles onto rail cars in preparation for an upcoming deployment to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California.

As soon as the brigade returned from training at the Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site in Las Animas County on June 18, 2015, unit movement officers started the deployment planning process for NTC.

"Every company has an assigned unit movement officer and they coordinate the equipment of each company and organization to be shipped via air, train, truck or boat to deploy anywhere worldwide," said Staff Sgt. Joshua Whiteland, company operations noncommissioned officer in charge, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st SBCT, 4th Inf. Div. "There's one UMO and a lot of equipment."

Whiteland is the UMO for his company and said that early planning and time management were crucial when juggling the additional duty with his daily responsibilities.

"You have to start early because the time runs quick," said Whiteland. "You may think that you have three or four months to get it done but that's almost not enough time.

With accurate organizational equipment lists, UMOs representing organizational levels from company up to brigade created a unit deployment list (UDL); a list of the containers and vehicles the unit is shipping.

The UDL was then submitted to the unit movement coordinator (UMC) who's responsible for creating a load plan that assigns all of the containers and vehicles to rail cars.

The UMC is the primary point of contact between the deploying unit, the installation and other commands for overall deployment transportation support.

"We're responsible for making sure that units are ready to deploy," said Shanette Thornton, unit movement coordinator, Fort Carson. "We always have joint planning meetings with the units from day one. We start planning about 45 days out from a deployment."

Thornton said that her team has an average of 30 years of experience in transportation and they work along with Soldiers to load all of the equipment.

"It's been a pretty big operation," said 1st. Lt. Adam Arnold, reconnaissance platoon leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 1st SBCT, 4th Inf. Div. "Every level in the chain of command is doing their part and trying to make sure that everything goes as smoothly as possible."