Fort Campbell Soldiers provide contracting support in aftermath of Hurricane Maria

By 922nd Contracting BattalionOctober 26, 2017

Fort Campbell Soldiers provide contracting support in aftermath of Hurricane Maria
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Barry McCurdy conducts field ordering officer training while deployed to Puerto Rico in support of a 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command site assessment team and Hurricane Maria recovery efforts. McCurdy is the 621st Contracting Team leader f... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Campbell Soldiers provide contracting support in aftermath of Hurricane Maria
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Barry McCurdy and Staff Sgt. Patricia Faris of the 621st Contracting Team at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, before departing to Puerto Rico in support of a 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command site assessment ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Fort Campbell Soldiers provide contracting support in aftermath of Hurricane Maria
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Capt. Barry McCurdy and Staff Sgt. Patricia Faris of the 621st Contracting Team at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, coordinated their efforts with Federal Emergency Management Agency, Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer partners while de... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky -- (Oct. 26, 2017) -- Two Soldiers from the 621st Contracting Team, 922nd Contracting Battalion at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, recently returned from Puerto Rico where they were deployed in support of Hurricane Maria disaster relief efforts.

The Soldiers supported more than 650 active-duty and Reserve forces assigned to the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command.

Contracting team leader Capt. Barry McCurdy and contract specialist Staff Sgt. Patricia Faris accompanied a 3rd ESC site assessment team to the island immediately following the storm. Their task was to provide a contingency contracting capability that focused on enhancing immediate sustainment operations.

"The initial situation in Puerto Rico was unlike anything I have ever experienced," Faris said. "Locals were waiting eight to 10 hours for fuel and sleeping inside of their vehicles. Ninety-five percent of the commonwealth was without power or any type of communications, which really complicated the situation."

Once on the ground, the contracting team conducted contracting assessments and analysis of areas near Ceiba, Humacao, and Aguadilla. McCurdy said the team coordinated its efforts with Federal Emergency Management Agency, Defense Logistics Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineer partners on the ground in order to be an effective force multiplier and provide non-organic capabilities to Soldiers and civilians providing disaster relief.

Over the course of three weeks, McCurdy and Faris contracted for basic life support items such as portable latrines, handwashing stations and trash removal services. The team also contracted for passenger and cargo vans that were used for troop transport as well as troop laundry services.

"The team's efforts greatly improved the living conditions and morale of more than 650 active and Reserve Soldiers involved with recovery efforts," McCurdy said.

McCurdy and Faris returned back to Fort Campbell Oct. 16 following a successful hand off to the 900th CBN commanded by Lt. Col. Jason Miles from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The 922nd CBN is subordinate to the 419th Contracting Support Brigade at Fort Bragg. The brigade is one of two that along with two field directorates make up the Mission and Installation Contracting Command. Headquartered at JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, the MICC consists of about 1,500 military and civilian members who are responsible for contracting goods and services in support of Soldiers as well as readying trained contracting units for the operating force and contingency environment when called upon. MICC contracts are vital in feeding more than 200,000 Soldiers every day, providing many daily base operations support services at installations, preparing more than 100,000 conventional force members annually, training more than 500,000 students each year, and maintaining more than 14.4 million acres of land and 170,000 structures.

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