Sgt. Gustavo Ocasio, a motor transport operator assigned to Company A of the 115th "Muleskinner" Brigade Support Battalion, 1st "Ironhorse" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, guides an RT240 Kalmar Rough Terrain Container ... VIEW ORIGINAL
FORT HOOD, Texas -- Caravans of cargo flatbeds began lining motor pools of the 1st "Ironhorse" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, from Jan. 13 to 16, here.
In a combined effort, Company A, 115th "Muleskinner" Brigade Support Battalion of the Ironhorse Bde. along with the 297th "Ghostriders" Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 180th Transportation Bn., 4th Sustainment Bde., 13th Sustainment Command began the process of preparing more than 100 shipping containers for movement to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif.
Throughout the week, Muleskinners lined the brigade's motor pools with cargo flatbeds while Ghostriders loaded containers on the trucks for transport to the Fort Hood Rail Operations Center.
The shipping containers, stocked with almost everything 1st BCT needs for the training exercise, will later be shipped by rail to NTC.
Sgt. Gustavo Ocasio, a motor transport operator with the 115th, said most equipment travels by rail instead of truck, because it is a more cost-effective means for transporting equipment in large quantities. Other gear, including weapons and radios, will follow in trucks.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Daniel McMillen, a mobility officer assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st BCT, is responsible for coordinating movement of the equipment to NTC.
A native of Joplin, Mo., McMillen said the movement process begins two weeks before the train arrives ensuring units have their equipment and containers inspected, certified and ready to be shipped. The two-week timeframe allows appropriate time to correct deficiencies, like damage to containers.
"This is the hardest part of the maneuver right here," said Ocasio, a native of Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. "Getting the Soldiers onto the plane is pretty straightforward, but getting the equipment in place, (there are) a lot of moving pieces."
The next steps toward moving Ironhorse to NTC are rail operations to ship containers by train, McMillen said, then preparing vehicles and containers for movement by truck.
"It's truly a team effort," McMillen said. "Not just internally to the brigade but also with division and outside agencies."
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