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SGT Patience Okhuofu
Sustainment Brigade, 3rd ID Public Affairs
The 260th Quartermaster Battalion held a change of command ceremony as Lt. Col. Robert J. Dixon relinquished command to Lt. Col. James L. Brown at Marne Garden at Fort Stewart, June 10. During the ceremony, red roses were presented to Amy Dixon, wife of Lt. Col. Dixon, in a tradition symbolizing her care and love for the Soldiers of 260th Quartermaster Bn., and yellow roses were presented to Lt. Col. Brown’s wife, Kelli, to welcome her to the unit.
The reviewing officer of the ceremony, Col. Stuart J. McRae, 3rd Infantry Division rear detachment commander, commented on the well executed change of command ceremony. He said he was proud to associate himself with what he called a “great outfit.”
“I say 'great outfit' (to you) because if you see the many streamers that are involved on the set of colors as we pass them around, you will see that this is an outfit with a significant accomplishment over the past 66 years,” he said.
“I also want to recognize the stellar Soldiers represented here in the field. A couple of weeks ago, we did a color uncasing ceremony for the 260th (Quartermaster Battalion), and they set the standard for that ceremony and once again they have set the standard.” In his speech he mentioned the great work that Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, who just got back from Iraq a couple of month ago, did while they were deployed. “The 260th (Quartermaster Battalion) not only set aside their designation as a quartermaster Battalion temporarily but also embraced a new challenge to act as a Combat Sustainment Support Battalion leading two battalions worth of companies from various logistical units in the Army, both active and reserve components,” Col. McRae said. “They did it admirably supporting sustainment and distribution for more than 120,00 Soldiers and civilians throughout Baghdad, U.S. Division-Center’s area of operation, and the Anbar province, an area spanning a quarter to a third of the country of Iraq. They had a lot of work that was under their responsibility and they did it.”
Lieutenant Colonel Dixon has deployed four times and is on the eve of his fifth deployment. He is giving up command a month shy of the traditional 24-month assignment so that he can return to Iraq to close the 3rd ID deployment as the Division G4. Colonel McRae thanked Lt. Col. Dixon for his excellent work as the 260th Quartermaster Battalion commander, and promised that the 3rd Infantry Division will take care of his Family while he is deployed. To Lt. Col. Brown, he said, “Listen to the moral compass in your heart; trust your intuition that you have honed this past few years. Always do what is right for your Soldiers, their Families and the unit mission and you will never go astray.”
In his remarks, the outgoing commander thanked the Soldiers, Families and friends of the 260th Quartermaster Battalion. The incoming commander thanked the Soldiers and Family Members of 260th Quartermaster Battalion for their service and sacrifice to our great nation. He thanked Lt. Col. Dixon and his wife for all that they have done for the battalion.“We are better because of your efforts,” he said.
Lieutenant Colonel Brown returns to Coastal Georgia after an eight year break. He previously served at Hunter Army Airfield as a captain in the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment. He assumes responsibility of not only
the 260th Quartermaster Battalion but also all the units of the 3rd Sustainment Brigade that did not deploy – more than 2,000 Soldiers. He has a daunting road ahead, as most incoming battalion commanders take on four to six companies, but Lt. Col. Brown has inherited 18.
SGT Patience Okhuofu
Sustainment Brigade, 3rd ID Public Affairs
According to the Department of Defense statistics, the rate of divorce is on the rise amongst military members. Research shows that more Military marriages end up in divorce compared to civilian marriages due to the stress of impending deployment, deployments, reintegration and the day to day life of being in the Military.
In an attempt to change the statistics and help build a strong marriage, 260th Quartermaster Battalion, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, held a Marriage Retreat at the Crowne Plaza Resort, Hilton Head, South Carolina on June 29 through July 1, 2010. Approximately 40 couples were in attendance.
CPT Sean Facchinello, Chaplain, 260th Quartermaster Battalion and his wife Dushy gave classes on the Five Love Languages, Love and Respect, Temperaments, Conflict Resolution and The Speaker/Listener Technique. Majority of the couples went to their hotel rooms after each class, applied what was discussed and came back the following day to speak about the effect it had on their relationship especially the Speaker / Listener Technique. This (Marriage Retreat) was the third CPT Facchinello and his wife have hosted and the fourth Retreat organized by the 260th Quartermaster Battalion.
On the last day (July 1, 2010), an After Action Review was conducted and it was unanimous, Marriage Retreat is an event that the Military needs to continue funding. A happy, stable marriage yields a Soldier willing and able to accomplish the mission.
CPT Facchinello urged the couples to take what they heard during the Retreat, from them and other couples apply it to their marriage and continue to work on building a loving and strong family.
The climax of the event was the renewal of vows by the couples. The sight of approximately 40 couples, holding hands, eyes fixed on each other while they renewed their vows is just too awesome to put in words. It is a sight to behold.
2nd Lt. Lovetta Tate
10TH TRANSPORTATION COMPANY PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The Ghostriders of 10th Transportation Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division worked with United Nations and the World Food Program to distribute food from warehouses in Haiti.
The Soldiers escorted empty trucks to warehouses to be loaded with rice, grains, wheat and flour from the warehouses to the Humanitarian Staging Area, where they received designated points to distribute the food throughout the city.
Along with assisting at the distribution points, the Soldiers visited a local orphanage in Haiti. Unlike the other locations where aid has been delivered by the Soldiers in the aftermath of the earthquake, the visit to the orphanage, titled “Intrepid,” had the Soldiers feeling an outpouring of affection and love for their assistance.
The troops encounter with the children of the orphanage was uplifting to both the orphans and the Soldiers’ spirits.
2nd Lt. Lovetta Tate
10TH TRANSPORTATION COMPANY PUBLIC AFFAIRS
The Ghostriders of 10th Transportation Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, received donated supplies from Saint Joseph’s Candler hospital in Savannah, GA, in order to assist with the earthquake relief effort.
Saint Joseph’s donated a pallet of medical supplies to be distributed to a local hospital in Haiti. The much-needed supplies included boxes of gloves, both regular and latex free; IV solutions; oxygen masks; Band-Aids; IV supplies; hand sanitizers; Neosporin; drapes; cotton and gauze; first aid supplies; ace wraps; masks; aspirin; dressing supplies; and various medications.
The 10th Trans. Co. chose to give those medical supplies to St. Catherine de Laboure hospital in Cite Soleil, Port Au Prince, located just south of the 10th Trans. Co.’s area of operation. Cite Soleil is a very dangerous neighborhood and a highly impoverished one in definite need of the most assistance. They worked with a French/Canadian non-governmental organization named Medecins du Monde, translated as Doctors of the World, who has helped operate this hospital along with Doctors Without Borders for more than nine years.
2nd Lt. Lovetta Tate
10TH TRANSPORTATION COMPANY PUBLIC AFFAIRS
As the Ghostriders of 10th Transportation Company, 3rd Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, departs from LSA Sustainer, Haiti, the devastation of the country becomes more and more apparent.
The convoy team is on a mission to find ways to bring in equipment from the port. As they make their way through the city, the rise in the tent communities in Port-Au-Prince is very noticeable. These tents are communities to help the displaced people in Haiti.
The Soldiers are assisting in the distribution of food from the local warehouses and are awaiting the arrival of the remaining equipment. Monday evening the company received more equipment by C-17s and are expecting the remaining equipment to arrive by vessel in the next few days.
The 10th Trans. Co. has been in Haiti for the past two weeks supporting Operation Unified Endeavor. With the additional equipment the company is looking forward to being able to help in a larger capacity.
CPT VINCENT CERCHIONE
260th QM Public Affairs
It was just before sunset, Soldiers were heading to the dining facility for dinner, the night shift was beginning to come to work and units were beginning to stage for upcoming convoys. Operations were being conducted as they were everyday for the 260th Quartermaster Battalion (deployed as the 260th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion) from Hunter Army Airfield. Soldiers had been conducting operations everyday for the last five months, dealing with threats to convoys, continuous missions and the Iraqi heat. However, on the evening of 26 September, the 260th CSSB came under a different kind of fire.
At approximately 1745, smoke alarms began screaming loudly as black smoke began to find its way out of the attic and into the office’s and command section hallway of the headquarters building. A fire was spreading and personnel began to evacuate the building. Leaders began to hurry Soldiers out of the building, grabbing computers and sensitive information along the way. The fire spread quickly, creating a black plume of smoke that could be seen throughout Victory Base Complex. Soldiers from throughout the Battalion came running with fire extinguishers, but the fire was not going to be put out that easy. Within moments, fire fighter’s were at the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) and began putting out the fire, with the added task of attempting to save as much computer and electrical equipment as possible. Quickly, the fire was extinguished. All Soldiers from the 260th CSSB were accounted for and no Soldiers were injured as a result of the fire.
“I felt kind of sad”, recalled Command Sgt. Maj. Dwight Williams. “It had become our home and we were making so much progress with our systems, but our Soldiers have done such a great job with everything that has happened and haven’t complained yet. They just execute and move out.” Throughout the excitement, personnel still understood that they had a mission to accomplish that night and the fire could not stop the convoys from rolling. With assistance of 1/82 Cavalry Squadron from the Oregon National Guard and the 260th CSSB’s partner unit for logistics missions, the S2/3 shops as well as the Support Operations sections were able to keep all missions on the road.
The fire affected more than just the headquarters building, damaging connectivity throughout all the Battalion’s sections; however, all were able to temporarily displace to the company areas to continue to conduct their missions. CPT Steven Smith, the Battalion’s S3 Officer tried to see the silver lining throughout the ordeal. “The fire was actually a benefit as it allowed the Battalion to inadvertently practice a “Jump TOC” exercise, since we were displaced by the fire. We were up and running again within 2 hours and showed how proficient the Soldiers are at making things happen.” “I am very proud of our Soldiers,” said Lt. Col. Joe Dixon, the 260th CSSB Battalion Commander. “Our Soldiers came together in a time of adversity and proved what they are truly capable of. Our leaders accounted for and ensured their Soldiers were safe, and we were able to continue our operations without any degradation of mission.”
Fire Officials determined that the cause of the fire was caused by electrical wiring in the attic of the headquarters. Dry timber from the extreme Iraqi heat exacerbated the initial flames, enabling the fire to spread quickly throughout the attic. Soldiers tried to save as many computers and equipment during the fire, however, due to smoke and water, there was damage to over half of the battalion’s electronic equipment. This has not dampened the spirits or decreased the capabilities of the Battalion, as units and all sections offered up computers and equipment to facilitate the headquarters personnel.
Currently the 260th CSSB is split between two locations on Camp Liberty. Some staff sections, like the S6, have already begun their move over to the new facility; however, once the rest of the new facility is inspected and completely prepared, the rest of the battalion staff will move within the next week. The 260th CSSB has reached its midway point of the deployment and has faced it’s fair share of adversity, however, the Soldiers of the 260th CSSB continue to show their abilities and resiliency as they conduct their logistical missions throughout the Multi-National Baghdad area of operations. |
