AFGHANISTAN –
Soldiers assigned to the 155th Inland Cargo Transfer Company, 10th Transportation Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, began arriving to Afghanistan June 29 under the leadership of Capt. Tera Autrey and 1st Sgt. Anthony Sanders. With a non-stop operational tempo, the unit consistently makes its mark on each of its operational bases.
The 155 ICTC officially took command and control of its area of responsibility July 25. However, Soldiers have been working tirelessly at Camp Dehdadi since the end of June by escorting strategic air shipments, and prepping for the arrival of the unit's advanced party team.
A review was conducted of Camps Marmal, Spann, Dehdadi II, and Hairatan Gate, and once completed, the advanced party team split up with the unit's NCOs of Marmal and Hairatan being sent to their areas of responsibility to start cross-training with their counterparts from the 302nd ICTC, whom they were replacing.
A team of 26 Soldiers located at Camp Marmal is responsible for the Central Receiving Shipping Point yard as well as the support operations office. Since taking over CRSP yard operations, the Soldiers have successfully moved more than 1,100 pieces of equipment to include containers, pallets and rolling stock. They also coordinate with the Dehdadi SPO to plan convoys that run to and from Hairatan Gate, Dehdadi II, and Kunduz.
Dehdadi II has been a flurry of activity since the unit took over. A total of 22 Soldiers run the DDII CRSP yard and have been responsible for the movement of more than 1,700 pieces of equipment, and have conducted a complete and thorough inventory of their yard. The CRSP yard Soldiers support numerous organizations throughout the forward operating base to include the mayor's cell, Army Air Force Exchange Service, and all of the battalions that occupy the FOB. The CRSP yard operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week, where there is always a mission on the move.
The operations section of the unit remains busy, and has readily adapted to changing deployment orders, the biggest of which states that their deployment, already shortened from one year to nine months, is to be shortened to six months. The change of events requires quick action from the unit's supply and movement sections as they prepare to redeploy almost as soon as they complete cross-training with the outgoing 302 ICTC.
Overall, morale remains high with Soldiers taking pride in their daily operational duties, and being deployed. The 155 ICTC has always been a major player in any role it undertakes, and this deployment has been no different. High morale combined with a strong work ethic ensured a solid start for the deployment, however long it may be.