April 22, 2017 –
Lt. Col. Thomas J. Harzewski, 483rd Terminal Battalion commander, traveled to Vallejo, California to support Chief Warrant Officer 5 Kenneth Lashbrook, 201st Harbor Master Operation Detachment officer in charge, and 1st Sgt. Ryan Smith, 201st HMOD noncommissioned officer in charge, during a deployment ceremony at the Mare Island U.S. Army Reserve Center April 22.
The 201st Harbormaster Detachment’s troops are prepared to rapidly deploy from their home station at Mare Island to ports, both improved and unimproved, and other water terminals throughout the world to provide Command and Control for approaching vessels in their area of operation as they off-load material and supplies.
On a beautiful California day, the weather was perfect as the sunny day welcomed dozens of family members who came to bid their love ones’ farewell and good luck.
Staff Sgt. Oscar Mendoza began the ceremony with a history of the unit and a biography of the participants in this ceremony and a cool breeze blew in from the San Francisco Bay.
“As we all know, there is a mix of good and evil throughout the world, but these Soldiers have chosen good over evil in their commitment to our nation,” said Harzewski. “To the Soldiers of the 201st detachment, thank you for your commitment and never lose sight of your values and take care of each other, and continue to always do what is right.”
The beach heads and other water terminals throughout the world need constant monitoring and units like the 201st HMOD ensure safe passage. When watercraft are quickly moving in and out delivering cargo, managing that traffic is a critical part of safety and mission success.
The 201st harbormaster detachment is part of the 481st Transportation Company, which also contains other transportation detachments with watercraft operators. This mission demands a high-level of readiness and synchronization that the unit achieves through joint and interagency field training exercises.
“My main goal is to bring all of my Soldiers home, but more than that we want to fulfill our mission with excellence,” said Lashbrook. “I’m excited to deploy with these Soldiers because they are among the best personnel I have ever worked with, having more experience and skills than I have ever seen.”
Lashbrook and Smith will lead 20 Soldiers on this mobilization to Kuwait, but first they must first travel to Fort Hood, where they will receive training in preparation to go downrange.
Special guests included Col. Jon Hewitt, 311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command deputy commander, and Col. Toni Glover, 650th Regional Support Group commander, who were present to send the Soldiers off with well wishes.
The 483rd Transportation Battalion is a functional transportation battalion that executes movement control in its assigned area of operation. It provides mission command over transportation companies spread throughout its area of operation.
The 483rd Transportation Battalion oversees the committing of Army theater common user transportation and is responsible for regulating Army movement in theater.