POHANG, South Korea –
Soldiers from the 331st Transportation Company, 7th Sustainment Brigade from Fort Eustis, Va., set up a modular causeway system at Dogu Beach in Pohang, South Korea.
The training was a part of a combined joint logistics over-the-sea exercise that started April 15, 2013, and lasted a week.
The MCS is a mobile port designed to load and unload equipment or personnel onto otherwise inaccessible land for either combat missions or humanitarian aid.
First Sgt. Brian Davis, 331st Trans. Co. first sergeant, said the mission shows the company's capabilities and demonstrates they can expediently construct a floating pier anywhere in the world.
The construction is formed in one location off of an existing pier. Piece by piece, tug boats move the platform across the water.
While in open sea, Soldiers manipulate and maneuver 20- or 40-foot-long metal floors, creating different shapes until the pier is completed.
For many of the 331st Trans. Co. Soldiers, this is their first experience with such large pallets on the water, making safety a top priority.
"When the sea gets rough, you have to time your movements so you don't fall in between pieces that bang together like giant scissors going up and down in the waves," said Spc. Eric Burmeister, 331st Trans. Co. watercraft operator, about the 27 platforms that make up the pier. "Setting anchors is very hazardous with big, heavy things swinging around. We have to keep them steady."
All branches of the U.S. military and members of the South Korean military are involved in the CJLOTS exercise. The 331st Trans. Co. had to rely upon outside sources in order to complete their causeway missions.
"When we all come together, there are more assets to make the mission more successful," said Brumeister.