10th Trans Accepts CCMRF Mission

By Spc. Gaelen Lowers, 3rd Sustainment Bde. Public AffairsOctober 1, 2009

10th Tracs Accepts CCMRF Mission
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10 Trans Accepts CCMRF Mission
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FORT STEWART, Ga. - After the events of Sept. 11, the likelihood of a terrorist attack on America has become a very real and possible threat to most Americans. However, if this threat becomes a reality, the Soldiers of the 10th Transportation Company, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade will be ready.

Starting Oct. 1, the 10th Trans. Co. will be assigned to the U.S. Northern Command, becoming the primary transportation asset for any CBRNE, or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, incidents.

They will be a part of a team known as the CBRNE Consequence Management Response Force, which includes the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the 1st Medical Brigade from Fort Hood, Texas, and the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Bragg, N.C., all of whom trained at Fort Stewart earlier this month.

The training that was conducted Sept. 21-25 taught Soldiers to react to situations and respond accordingly, said Sgt. Osvaldo Vives, the CBRNE noncommissioned officer in charge.

"Right now we have Soldiers driving around in full [Mission Oriented Protective Posture] gear," he said. "They need to be protected in case of biological agents or a nuclear attack. My Soldiers really need this training."

Second Lieutenant Lovetta Tate, the officer in charge of the day's training, echoed the importance of such training.

"We need to train as if there were a real chemical, biological or nuclear attack," she said. "We have been doing a lot of convoy training because if we are called up, it's likely that we'll have to drive to wherever we go. The Soldiers have been putting in a lot of miles, getting familiar with the vehicles and driving long distances."

The CCMRF mission is an important one. This was emphasized by the Army's Chief of Staff, Gen. George Casey, when he made a visit to the units training at Fort Stewart earlier in the month.

"There are terrorist organizations out there who are still trying to obtain nuclear or radiological materials," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind that when they acquire them, they will attempt to use them."

The use of the 10th Trans. Co. would be for an extreme situation or attack, said 2nd Lt. Tate.

"We're the level-5 responders," she said. "So after the state has been called in, the National Guard, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), then they call us."

If such an attack occurred, Sgt. Vives feels confident that his Soldiers are up to the challenge.

"We are training and everything is good to go," he said. "We are prepared for the fight or whatever might come our way."