JOINT BASE McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. –
Soldiers from the 851st Trailer Transfer Point Detachment of the Army Reserve’s 77th Sustainment Brigade spent four days in June partnering with the Air Force loading their trucks and equipment on a C17 to ensure the unit can deploy at a moment’s notice.
The exercise was meant to prepare the Soldiers and airmen in the event they must deploy with the essential gear that this specialized unit requires - equipment to sustain the battle.
“We’re here for a deployment readiness exercise to see what it takes to move our equipment and Soldiers in the event we are deployed,” said Army 1st Lt. Kyle E. Westerman, commander, 851st Trailer Transfer Point Detachment.
“This is crucial for a TTP detachment as we go into theater to support various units that count on sustainment to keep them moving,” said Westerman. “Units use a TTP detachment for various things like refueling and light maintenance on vehicles.”
The 851st can sustain up to 200 vehicles per day during a deployment. The reserve unit is stationed in Fort Wadsworth, New York.
There were three parts to this exercise. Day one was spent with the Air Force measuring, weighing and inspecting the vehicles that would ultimately get loaded on the C71. Day two was primarily paperwork, and the exercise finished on day three with the actual loading of all vehicles and gear.
“Our job is to inspect the vehicles and equipment to ensure it’s air ready,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Wayne G. Rose, Air Transportation, 35th Arial Port Squadron. “We take measurements, weigh the vehicles and inspect the overall condition of the vehicles to include finding the center of balance which is extremely important when loading heavy equipment and vehicles for flight, which is called shoring”
“We just started integrating and partnering with the Army over the past six months to help prepare units for deployment,” said Rose. “Exercises like this one give us the training we need to prepare for real-world deployments when units must pack-up and fly to a destination in a short amount of time.
“It’s important for our unit to be ready to deploy quickly because we help sustain the fight by repairing and refueling vehicles during deployments,” said Army Staff Sgt. Melvyn Rosario, transportation management supervisor, 851st TTP Detachment.
“This operation was important for the Soldiers to prepare in the event our unit is called to deploy,” said Rosario. “We need to know how to react when the call comes, and if we are going to make mistakes, it’s important we make them in training so we can learn from them.”
“This exercise is important because the battalion and brigade need to know how capable their units are to perform a deployment with short notice,” said Westerman, whose unit wears the Statue of Liberty patch and carries the lineage of the 77th Infantry Division ‘Liberty Warriors.’ “From home station, to transport and finally to the theater of operations, what did we learn from the exercise and how partnering helps prepare everyone involved.”