FORT SILL, Okla. (Dec. 2, 2015) -- Although there were only three Soldiers returning, there was no shortage of enthusiasm as they were greeted by families, friends, fellow Soldiers and civilian co-workers at the Lawton-Fort Sill Regional Airport Nov. 17.
Maj. Bill Fisher, Sgt. 1st Class Rochell Pascual and Staff Sgt. Dorian Christian, all contacting officers from the Mission and Installation Contracting Command's (MICC) 731st Contracting Team (CT) returned from a nine-month deployment to Kuwait.
"The deployment went smooth," said Christian. "We gained a lot of experience and new knowledge."
The Fort Sill MICC procures the contracts for supply, services, transportation and construction for the installation, said Kay McKinzie, MICC director. Last year, the MICC did about $150 million in contracts. One of the MICC's missions is to train Soldier contract specialists, or military occupational specialty 51C, in a garrison environment in preparation for deployments.
The 731st CT left Fort Sill in February for the CONUS Replacement Center in Fort Bliss, Texas, said Staff Sgt. Louis Olvera, MICC contracting officer. The one-week processing prepared them for the deployment with medical check-ups and equipment issue (TA-50).
At Camp Arifjan, the team was part of the 900th Contracting Battalion, and opened a ground line of communication (GLOC) to increase the speed of logistics resupply in a cost-effective manner, Fisher said. The GLOC moved material and equipment from Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve to sites tasked with training Iraqi Security Forces.
The 731st CT contracted about $325 million, said Fisher, the team's leader. Contracts included logistics, such trucking, as well as base life support (showers, latrines, temporary housing).
For the first three months of the deployment, the Soldiers worked every day from 9 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m. doing contract actions, Christian said. The team was expected to perform physical training on their own.
The 731st CT deployment lasted nine months straight, Olvera said. The CT returned to Fort Bliss Nov. 15, and spent one day processing before returning to Fort Sill. Another Soldier who was part of the 731st CT returned directly to Fort Lee, Va., at the end of the deployment.
Randy Fontenot, MICC property administrator, and virtually all the 26 MICC civilians and one activated National Guard Soldier were at the airport to welcome home the 731st CT. At the arrival gate they and families held signs that read: "Welcome home."
"They're our guys, I have to welcome them home," Fontenot said. "They add so much value to our office with the work that they do for us. We felt the impact when they left."
Led by Fisher, the Soldiers arrived to cheers, applause, hugs and kisses in the terminal.
McKinzie said the MICC was going to host a Thanksgiving potluck for the Soldiers. Fisher said he was happy to be home for the holidays. And, Christian said she was ready to eat.
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