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Story by Capt. Craig Tilley
August 27, 2010
CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait—Hours before the bright Kuwaiti sun would show itself, the Soldiers of the 469th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion (Aftershock) were awake and waiting for the 4th Stryker Brigade Raiders to arrive at Camp Virginia. The 4th Brigade (Stryker), 2nd Infantry Division has been coined by the civilian media as the last combat unit to leave Iraq. When the Soldiers finally reached Kuwait after their long journey, Aftershock was there to help them on their way. Operation Rolling Temblor, as coined by the Aftershock Battalion planners, kicked off at 0600 on August 16, 2010. Over the next several hours, groups of Strykers, and other vehicles of the 4/2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team (SBCT), rolled into the Four Corners yard at Camp Virginia to begin the several day process of clearing and cleaning the vehicles and preparing them for shipment to the United States. |
Upon arrival, in full view of the media and dignitaries, the yard guides directed each Stryker to a lane where they were methodically processed. In sequential stations, members of the Aftershock Battalion collected unused Meals Ready to Eat (MRE’s), water, packaged petroleum products (Class IIIP) and Class IV(barrier materials) under the watchful eye of the operations Non-commissioned Officer in Charge, Sgt 1st Class Kristopher Tajchman. “Our job is to help these guys get home”, he stated regarding the 4/2 retrograde mission. In the first day his troops collected 263 cases of MRE’s and more than 100 gallons of various Class IIIP containers. In addition the team also collected several rolls of concertina wire and an assortment of lumber. 
Once the Strykers cleared the stations they were directed to the back of “Four Corners” where, with the oversight of Quality Assurance Specialist (Ammunition Surveillance), or QASAS personnel, 1st Lt. Webb and his team from the 261st Ordnance Company took over. They ensured all ammunition and other items of Class V were recovered and the vehicles were cleared for onward movement to the motor pools for the next step in the redeployment process. Total time from arrival to departure for the first group was just under 50 minutes, but this was just the beginning of the first day.
Several weeks before the first vehicles left their base in Iraq, the Aftershock Battalion was planning and preparing for the event. The plan changed and morphed as new ideas and requirements manifested and the numerous players worked out the final plan. Major Peter Gleason, the Battalion Support Operations Officer, was the principle architect of the operation. He worked in conjunction with other planners from 1st Theater Sustainment Command, 653rd Regional Support Group, 53rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) as well as the 4/2 SBCT itself.
Over the next several days, a total of 345 vehicles would process through the Four Corners yard, and the Aftershock Battalion worked diligently to ensure the weary, but exuberant, combat troops would not tarry any longer than was required. The vehicles arrived at Camp Virginia over a period of four days in groups of about twenty. Each group took about sixty minutes to process, which was well within the ninety minutes planned.
Once the last vehicle rolled out for the day, the Aftershock Battalion’s work was not finished. They packaged and banded the various items collected for safe transport to their final storage location. The serviceable Class IIIP, and loose MRE’s were dropped off at the 4/2 motor pool to be used by workers while they prepared the vehicles for shipment. Meanwhile the 261st OD Company was busy packing the myriad of ammunition and preparing it for immediate shipment to Camp Buehring, Kuwait so it could be brought to record.
When the last Stryker rolled out of the Four Corners yard at 0745 on the 19 August, the Soldiers of the Aftershock Battalion took stock of their accomplishments. In four days Sgt. 1st Class Tajchman’s team of five Soldiers, along with about 20 Soldiers from the 4/2 SBCT, had collected 1,115 MRE’s, 2,240 Gallons of packaged petroleum, 111 rolls of concertina wire and 100 other items used for constructing barriers. These excess supplies were packed and a Transportation Movement Request (TMR) was cut for the supplies to be transported over the next few days. Spc. Christopher Duncan, who is attached to the 469th CSSB, said, “The hardest part of the mission was getting up at 0100 or 0300 in the morning and enduring the long, hot days.” Spc. Derek Eveland, of Cerritos California stated, “The most rewarding part of the mission was helping to get the Soldiers home to their Families and receiving a Commander’s coin from Col. Norris, the 4/2 Brigade Commander.” Both Eveland and Duncan were part of the 469th CSSB group tasked to facilitate the supply turn-in.
Not to be outdone, the 261st OD Company collected over 73 Short Tons of Class V with a Net Explosive Weight of over 5,361 pounds that included 57 different types of ammunition. This herculean effort pushed the twelve 261st Soldiers and QASAS personnel to the max. Although exhausted, they were proud of their accomplishment. “I couldn't be prouder of the work my Soldiers did in knocking this one out, and slinging this much ammo in such a short amount of time!” exclaimed Lt. Webb.
The efforts of the Aftershock Battalion helped make the historic redeployment of the last Combat Brigade out of Iraq a smooth process. The apparent seamless integration of logistics and planning in the execution Operation Rolling Temblor exemplifies the battalion motto, “Assist to Victory!”
Photos by: Chief Warrant Officer 2 Russell Jones, 469th CSSB
