JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

John Wood, 841st Transportation Battalion, 597th Transportation Brigade security coordinator, directs vehicles with generators onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 28, 2017. Joint Base Charleston was chosen as a central hub for Hurricane Maria relief efforts because it’s one of the few Department of Defense installations with both sea and aerial port facilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia, help U.S. Army Soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility load a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017. The helicopters are among several vehicles and supplies headed to Puerto Rico to aid in hurricane Maria relief efforts. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is loaded onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017 as a part Hurricane Maria relief efforts. Equipment loaded for transport to Puerto Rico also included commercial vehicles, stoves, cots, construction and hygiene equipment, 53-foot refrigeration units, and more than 300 generators capable of supporting hospitals, schools and larger facilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

Generators, vehicles, temporary living facilities and others sit waiting to be loaded onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 28, 2017. The 597th Transportation Brigade; U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia; the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies loaded cargo onto to a humanitarian transport bound for Puerto Rico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

Supplies are loaded onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017. Funded by FEMA, this is the first of at least six surface ship humanitarian-relief deliveries scheduled to go through Charleston to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia, review shipment layout plans on Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 29, 2017. Once the ship leaves port in the coming days, NCHB-1 will maintain the equipment during a four-day voyage down to Puerto Rico, where the 832nd Transportation Battalion, 597th Trans. Brigade will receive and unload the equipment. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin is loaded with humanitarian-relief supplies at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017. The ship, which has a cargo capacity of 215,000 square feet, is scheduled to make six trips from here to Puerto Rico over the next two months. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

The sun rises over the shore of Cooper River at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017. Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin, loaded with humanitarian-relief effort supplies, will sail in the coming days from Charleston to the hurricane-battered island of Puerto Rico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

Employees of the 597th Transportation Brigade; U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia; the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies work together to load 53-foot generator trailers and other supplies onto the weather deck of Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 28, 2017. The 841st Trans. Battalion, 597th Trans. Bde, on behalf of the United States Transportation Command and the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, is working with FEMA to load cargo onto the 946-foot versatile vessel. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

Supplies are loaded onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 28, 2017. This shipment of supplies is primarily to aid in rebuilding the power grid across the island of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, as the majority of communities are still without power. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

U.S. Army Soldiers from the South Carolina National Guard Army Aviation Support Facility work together with U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia, to properly load and secure a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017. These two units partnered with the 597th Transportation Brigade, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and other partners to load the Brittin with relief supplies and transportation vehicles to be used in Puerto Rico to help communities begin to rebuild the lives after the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

JBLE-based brigade supports joint mission to Puerto Rico

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is loaded onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin at Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, S.C., Oct. 30, 2017 as a part Hurricane Maria relief efforts. Two Black Hawks from the Minnesota National Guard will be used to deliver food, water and other supplies to various locations on the island of Puerto Rico. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Teresa J. Cleveland)

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a series highlighting Joint Base Langley-Eustis members’ contribution to humanitarian relief efforts.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 597th Transportation Brigade, headquartered at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, connected with agency partners on Oct. 28 at TC Dock, located on the Joint Base Charleston Naval Weapons Station, to load supplies intended for the hurricane-battered island of Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico has both air and sea ports operated by Soldiers from the 597th Trans. Bde, which are vital to hurricane recovery efforts. This shipment of supplies is primarily to aid in rebuilding the power grid across the island, as the majority of communities are still without power.

“Power is a big part of getting your life back, along with clean water,” said Alfred Murray, USNS Brittin captain. “So this is a big step to get their lives back to a normal level.”

The brigade; U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion 1 from Yorktown Naval Weapon Station, Virginia; the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies loaded cargo onto Military Sealift Command’s USNS Brittin (T-AKR 305), a ship featuring cargo capacity of 215,000 square feet. Equipment loaded included commercial vehicles, stoves, cots, construction and hygiene equipment, 53-foot refrigeration units, and more than 300 generators capable of supporting hospitals, schools and larger facilities.

The 841st Trans. Battalion, on behalf of the United States Transportation Command and the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, is working with FEMA to load cargo onto the 946-foot versatile vessel. Once the ship leaves port in the coming days, NCHB-1 will maintain the equipment during a four-day voyage down to Puerto Rico, where the 832nd Trans. Bn. will receive and unload the equipment.

“We’re part of a bigger plan here and we have a lot of mission partners working together,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Chad Blacketer, 841st Trans. Bn. commander. “This is the largest Department of Defense ship that is supporting the operation right now--we’re just glad to be able to do our part to help our fellow Americans.”

Funded by FEMA, this is the first of at least six surface ship humanitarian-relief deliveries scheduled to go through Charleston to Puerto Rico.

“We’re really happy that Charleston could help out because we knew we had the capability to assist the people in Puerto Rico,” said U.S. Navy Lt. Brenton Breed, 841st Trans. Bn., 597th Trans. Bde. operations officer. “It’s nothing we can’t handle with the logistics expertise that we have; our guys are working long hours but it’s all worth it.”