JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq - Soon after the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) assumed authority of all sustainment operations in Iraq, two of the unit's noncommissioned officers began their own operation 'Clean Sweep,' in preparation for the upcoming drawdown of forces and equipment from Iraq.

Sgt. First Class Michael Tiberi, the satellite communication systems noncommissioned officer in charge and property manager, and Staff Sgt. Stephen Murphy, a communications NCO, both with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 13th ESC, took it upon themselves to turn in excess equipment and dispose of items no longer needed, said Lt. Col. Shawn Denny, the 13th ESC communications officer and a native of Minneapolis.

"Despite having to work inside large metal containers holding the excess equipment, in temperatures rising above 120 degrees, these two NCOs made it their mission to clean the G6 house," said Denny.

Tiberi, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, said he understood the importance of their mission.

"It is hard work, but I knew other units would benefit from getting this excess equipment we have around," said Tiberi. "I'm glad we get to do our part in this fiscally constricted environment too."

Tiberi and Murphy found equipment that will now be redistributed to units across Iraq, saving the government and taxpayers more than $50,000. They also disposed of more than 23,000 pounds of unusable items, doing their part to support the drawdown. Murphy, a Chicago native, said he and his counterpart made great progress but they still have more work to do to complete this mission.

Capt. Lucas Fallot, the13th ESC's logistics operations division officer and a Monroe, N.Y., native praised the NCOs for their hard work.

"These NCOs did a magnificent job of putting equipment back into the hands of the Warfighters," said Fallot. "They did a great job of getting rid of stuff and organizing the containers."