West Virginia Soldiers play key role in Golden Cargo 2009

By Story and photos by Sgt. Yvonne C. Vairma, 361st PAOCAugust 5, 2009

West Virginia Soldiers play key role in Golden Cargo 2009
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Spc. Crystal M. Johnson, (right) liaison officer for the 1015th Combat Support Maintenance Company of Fort Gillem, Ga, communicates on behalf of her unit from the Tactical Operations Center run by the 321st Ordnance Battalion. Other liaison officers ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
West Virginia Soldiers play key role in Golden Cargo 2009
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

As the Department of Defense realigns its ammunition reserves across the nation, a group of Army Reserve Soldiers from Charleston, W.Va., is here to command one key part of that process. The Soldiers of the 321st Ordnance Battalion are overseeing more than 300 Soldiers here participating in Operation Golden Cargo 2009.

"Without ammunition, there's no fight," said Spc. Prince A. Hunter, 321st ammunition specialist. As an ammunition specialist working in the battalion's operations section, Hunter plays a critical role in ensuring the right ammunition moves to the right location.

"We help track inventory," he explained. "We track the movement of ammunition. We're an ordnance battalion, so we're mostly support."

That support applies to more than just the receiving and movement of cargo during the exercise. It also applies to the Soldiers on the ground at BGAD who rely on the battalion for the supplies they need to get their jobs done.

According to Staff Sgt. Stephen H. Tran, 321st supply sergeant, "During Golden Cargo the battalion supply sergeant is responsible for life support for the whole life support area. In this case that's Blue Grass [BGAD]."

Those life-support responsibilities include providing meals and lodging, as well as resolving any equipment needs Soldiers have in order to fulfill their missions.

"We're overall responsible for making sure all of our vehicles are fully mission-capable," said Master Sgt. Stephen W. Haynes, 321st Ordnance Battalion senior maintenance supervisor.

"Yesterday, for example, we had a problem with dimmer switches," Master Sgt. Haynes explained. "We went from Fort Knox all the way to Louisville just to track down the right 10-dollar part."

In order to maintain sufficient lodging, food, equipment, and supplies, the battalion must first know how many Soldiers they are participating in the exercise here and also track any changes in their status throughout the duration of the Golden Cargo. This is the duty of the unit's administrative section, according to Sgt. Ricky W. Bates, 321st administrative specialist.

"From the entire battalion and all down-trace personnel, right to the very bottom," Sgt. Bates explained, "anybody here for this mission, we track them."

Monitoring large numbers of Soldiers is good practice for deployment according to Bates. "We run the exact same status reports and track the same status board as we would on deployment," he said.

All of this work takes place in a Tactical Operations Center which the battalion oversees. Here, liaison officers representing each unit work closely with the battalion on a daily basis to ensure accurate and open communication throughout the chain-of-command.

"This is the closest to theater that we're going to get. It really is," Sgt. Bates said.

Hunter agreed, "It gives me more hands-on experience with the things I don't do every day. It trains me up for deployments and to know what to expect."