Reservists run cargo loading all night - Brief Article

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, July-August, 2001 by Larry D. McCaskill

A constant stream of tanks, trucks and trailers roll along the docks at Savannah, Ga., to the ramp of the Cape Douglas.

It looks like a standard loading action of the Deployment Support Command.

Based at Fort Stewart and Fort Benning in Georgia, the 3rd Infantry Division is shipping more than 700 pieces of cargo, including 333 wheeled vehicles, 171 trailers, and 106 tracked vehicles.

But this is no standard MTMC loading on April 27 at the Garden City Terminal.

Virtually the entire Sealift Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise is being performed by Army Reservists.

The 1173rd Transportation Terminal Battalion, of Brockton, Mass., is handling and performing all traffic management actions.

"Things went well," said Lt. Col. Rodney Willis, Commander.

"As always, you remain flexible during operations such as this one. As long as you recognize from the beginning that things might not go exactly as planned, you can adjust and move on."

Another Reserve unit was at work as well--the 1179th Deployment Support Brigade, of Brooklyn, N.Y. The unit helped ensure the warfighters' equipment was properly labeled and ready for loading.

MTMC's 841st Transportation Battalion, Charleston, S.C., performed single port operations.

The Reservists maintained a steady pace.

Vehicles flowed into the Cape Douglas all night long and into the following day's dawn. By the time the day shift took over operations, more than 400 pieces of equipment had been loaded.

"I am happy with the results at the port and at home station," said Capt. Timothy White, Transportation Officer of the division's 3rd Brigade from Fort Benning.

"Having the deployment support brigade personnel at the fort helped us identify problems with some of the cargo prior to its movement to the port," said White. "Those kinds of on-the-spot corrections obviously save time at the port."

Willis said planning, coordination and communication were essential to the success of the operation.

"Having a unit full of experienced soldiers enables you to anticipate what challenges may be ahead of you," said Willis. "Knowing what might happen before it occurs can only help you guard against glitches."

"We were able to stay on track and focused to do the job at hand."