Black Jack completes railhead operations

By Sgt. Quentin Johnson, 2nd BCT PAO, 1st Cav. Div.December 21, 2010

FORT HOOD, Texas- Sgt. Derrell Springer, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native and surveyor for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, ground-guides a fuel truck onto a fl...
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT HOOD, Texas- Sgt. Derrell Springer, a Brooklyn, N.Y. native and surveyor for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, ground-guides a fuel truck onto a fl... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT HOOD, Texas- Various types of vehicles loaded on flatbed train cars wait to be shipped to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. The vehicles were loaded by Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division during th...
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT HOOD, Texas- Various types of vehicles loaded on flatbed train cars wait to be shipped to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. The vehicles were loaded by Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division during th... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
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FORT HOOD, Texas- With a scheduled rotation to the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. approaching soon, the time for movement operations is now.

Troopers with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division executed rail operations on Fort hood, Texas Dec. 10-14.

It was a joint effort as Soldiers from across the brigade assembled together with members of the Directorate of Logistics, Fort Hood, and a private contractor to successfully help prepare brigade vehicles for movement to JRTC, said Dirk Davis, a rail operations supervisor for the DOL on Fort Hood.

The Soldiers' efforts came in the form of providing safety officers, and loading vehicles individually onto the tracks, a technique known as "circus loading", said Davis.

These efforts helped the brigade load more than 700 vehicles a day ahead of schedule, said 1st Lt. Michael O'Donnell, a Fairfax, Va. native and the brigade railhead operations officer-in-charge.

Because of months of planning, coordination and rehearsal of the operations to make sure logistical support for JRTC is a success, the operations went quite smoothly, said O'Donnell.

"It takes a lot of coordination, especially working with the civilians but it's not hard at all," he said.

Experience of the Soldiers and civilians was another contributing factor for the success of the operations, said O'Donnell. Most of the noncommissioned officers working for him added to the efforts by being safeties and providing guidance to the inexperienced.

Spc. Blaze Fuller, an Arlington, Texas native with 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div., said with all his experience he has never seen a rail operation run so efficiently.

Fuller said he received thorough briefings on the how the operation would take place, which enabled him to perform triumphantly.

Overall, the rail operation was a success, said O'Donnell. Because of the coordination, timing and hard work by every Soldier and civilian, the transport of the vehicles will ensure a promising rotation through JRTC.