If a Soldier moves with it, shoots it or uses it to communicate chances it will be issued by the Class VII warehouse located on the Army Field Support Battalion-Kandahar's compound. Literally serving as Army Materiel Command's face to the field, the team who runs the warehouse distributes the equipment that gives Soldiers the edge on the battlefield.
"We are where the rubber meets the road," said Steven Kinzer, the warehouse lead. The team at the warehouse works with the Ready for Issue Office in the AFSBn-Kandahar to issue nearly everything a Soldier needs to outfit his vehicle or herself for missions outside the wire.
The team also works with Soldiers, logistics assistance representative, and field service representatives to ensure that the equipment issued is in working order and ready to go when the Soldier signs for it.
"We won't let you leave without serviceable equipment," said Kinzer.
The warehouse not only issues equipment to Soldiers, they also bring equipment found on the installation back to record, saving the tax payers millions of dollars every week. They spend several hours each day researching items in various databases to identify what they are, who they belong to and returning those items to the right unit. If a rightful owner cannot be identified, the item is put on to the theater property book and issued to the next unit who needs it.
Kinzer and his team, nearly all of whom are former service members, work hard to make the process of issuing equipment as seamless as possible. To that end, the team established GFE University (government furnished equipment). GFE University consists of a small demonstration area where customers can learn about the equipment they are requesting or find the type of the equipment they need if they don't know the item's name.
"We took for granted that everyone knew," said Kinzer. "Pictures are great, but hands on is better."
At the end of the day, Kinzer and the team who operate the Class VII warehouse are here to help Soldiers.
"This is what we do. This is why we are here," said Kinzer. "We don't tell Soldiers no."
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