文章基本信息

标题：On land and sea: 1174th's 'round-the-clock mission - Training - Brief Article
作者：Richard A. Wasserman
期刊名称：Army Reserve Magazine
印刷版ISSN：0004-2579
出版年度：2002
卷号：Spring 2002
出版社：U.S. Army Reserve

On land and sea: 1174th's 'round-the-clock mission - Training - Brief Article

Richard A. Wasserman

NORFOLK NAVAL STATION, Va.--Members of the 1174th Transportation Terminal Battalion, Fort Totten, N.Y., waited patiently in the predawn hours for the USNS Mendonca to pull into Pier 14. With the ship's stow plan in hand they were prepared to move into action to discharge almost 600 pieces of cargo returning from Operation Bright Star, in Egypt.

Beginning late last year, the unit worked closely with a deployment support team from the 832nd Transportation Battalion, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, and members of the Fort Eustis-based 7th Transportation Group. Divided into two teams they worked 12-hour shifts around the clock to ensure the ship would depart on time.

"This exercise was of great training value," said Lt. Col. Robert Oliveras, Commander, 832nd Transportation Battalion. "It showed the seamless integration of both Active and Reserve components to complete the mission. Mission accomplishment is important -- and even more important is to accomplish the mission and do it safely."

In all, the Mendonca carried 597 pieces of cargo. This cargo included 200 containers, 234-wheeled vehicles, and an assorted array of heavy engineer equipment. As an added challenge, the unit members were required to use cranes to unload the heaviest vehicles directly to Army watercraft alongside the ship. The equipment was then moved by water to Fort Eustis to avoid movement over local highways.

After staging the cargo, it was transshipped to such military bases as Fort Polk, La.; Fort Huachuca, Ariz.; and Fort Carson, Col.

The unit was further challenged when no documentation was found for 83 pieces of cargo. That meant the Worldwide Port System section had to create records for the missing pieces.

"Our unit hasn't done a download such as this in quite a while," said Maj. Damon Taylor, the battalion's officer-in-charge. "This gave us a good overview of all the many details that are required to accomplish our mission."

Maj. Wasserman is the Public Affairs Officer for the 1174th Transportation Terminal Battalion, Fort Totten, N.Y.