FORT BLISS, Texas -- Soldiers with 47th Transportation Company, 142nd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 15th Sustainment Brigade, Fort Bliss, Texas were activated on Jan. 16, 2012 for a two-week emergency deployment readiness exercise.
Since then they have trained through all the steps needed for deployment in support of global disaster, humanitarian or combat operations.
The 47th TC is medium material transportation organization.
"We are equipped with 60 palletized load systems, which include a 10-wheel-drive prime mover and a six-wheel wagon," said 1st Lt. Kevin Gibbons of Monroe TWP, NJ.
"This EDRE evaluates our unit capabilities and measures our ability of effective movement should we be called to support a global reaction response team anywhere nationally or internationally," said Gibbons.
The first step of the EDRE is reviewing Soldiers personnel records at the Soldier readiness and redeployment program facility located on Fort Bliss. Then vehicles are checked for movement, and transferred to the deployment ready reaction facility.
At the DRRF, a large weigh and inspection station, vehicles are washed, inspected for operational readiness, weighed, and parked in a secure yard. They are prepared for movement by highway, railroad, or air transportation depending on the task they are given.
"Everyone in the company has played a role in this readiness evaluation exercise," said Capt. Ashford Aubrey, 47th TC Commander. "It is a good experience for the Soldiers. They have an opportunity to see what to expect in the event that we are called on for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief or other operation on short notice," said Aubrey.
"It gives leaders a sense of our capabilities and areas to work on in further training events," Aubrey said.
"I am responsible for vehicle preparation and movement by road, rail or air to support global operations with transportation," said senior truck master Sgt. 1st Class Jose Garcia of El Paso, Texas.
From the DRRF the vehicles are moved by highway or taken to the rail loading yard or air terminal for loading and shipping.
At the air terminal the soldiers weigh the vehicles by axle and use a formula to determine the center of weight before loading them in aircraft for shipment worldwide.
Finally, the 170 personnel of the 47th TC process through the air terminal on Fort Bliss for departure on aircraft, if they are not moving the vehicles over the highway.
"I like driving," said Spc. Stacy Dixon of Ledyard, Conn. Dixon is a truck driver assigned to 47th TC, Fort Bliss, Texas.
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