Reserve Soldier steps up as unit commander, keeps Golden Cargo mission rolling

By Staff Sgt. Brent C. Powell, 300th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentJuly 17, 2012

Reserve Soldier steps up as unit commander, keeps Golden Cargo mission rolling
Sgt. John A. Krause, a wheeled vehicle mechanic and acting commander of the 309th Trailer Transfer Point Detachment (Task Force Hellcat), discusses ammunition logistics operations with Sgt. 1st Class Joseph W. Schnering, noncommissioned officer in ch... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. (July 14, 2012) -- For nearly two weeks a group of 30 Army Reserve Soldiers from the 828th Transportation Battalion have been working hard every day to help ensure tons of high-explosive ammunition is loaded, strapped and ready to be transported hundreds of miles as part of Operation Golden Cargo 2012.

One of those Soldiers stands out from the crowd, not because he is the biggest Soldier on the team--at just 5-feet 6-inches tall and weighing about 150 pounds, but after watching him work for a few minutes, his work ethic is obvious.

Like a bee swarming around a hive full of honey, Sgt. John A. Krause, a light-wheeled vehicle mechanic and acting commander of the 309th Trailer Transfer Point Detachment, 828th Transportation Battalion (Task Force Hellcat), never seems to stop moving.

Whether it's strapping down cargo, driving a forklift, giving guidance to his Soldiers or just making sure the job that needs doing gets done, Krause is always in the middle of the action. Sometimes he can be seen running from one work location to the next.

"He is very hard working and when there is a job to be done, he is right there beside us helping us do it," said Pfc. Corey M. Dawkins, a wheeled vehicle mechanic and native of Freeport, Fla., assigned to the 309th TTP Det. "He is one of my favorite sergeants at our unit."

When it came time for the 12 Soldiers of Krause's unit to attend their annual training this year, the 23-year-old sergeant was chosen to take on roles as both unit commander and first sergeant. A task that would challenge even the most seasoned leader, but Krause didn't blink an eye.

Despite the added responsibility, Krause, a former Army Ranger who spent three years on the front lines in Afghanistan, doesn't just sit back and bark orders, he leads by example. "I don't ask my guys to do anything I won't do myself, and they know that," he said. "They see me running around, sweating, working hard and they follow my lead and do the same. We are a team."

Once his team arrived at the training site, Krause figured out a way to not only accomplish his unit's mission, but assist fellow Soldiers as well. They began lending a hand to the 826th and the 395th Ordnance Company to load, strap, label and prepare hundreds of pallets of 155mm artillery rounds for shipment to Crane, Ind.

Reserve Component units that participate in Golden Cargo receive hands-on

logistics training while providing the U.S. military with ammunition for training and contingencies.

"We are doing everything we can to help accomplish the mission here," said Krause. "We help them, they help us and together we make the mission successful."

Krause's leadership and work ethic has not gone unnoticed by his peers. "I could not ask for a better noncommissioned officer to run the 309th," said Sgt. 1st Class Joseph W. Schnering, a native of Lake Geneva, Wis., and noncommissioned officer in charge of ammo operations at the 826th Ordnance Company. "He is the real thing. I am truly impressed by his outstanding leadership, his hard work and dedication."