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The 16th Sustainment Brigade completed its final predeployment preparations at the Deployment Processing Center and departed from Ramstein enroute to the Iraqi theater July 19.
The brigade will be conducting sustainment operations there in support of Operation
Iraqi Freedom. While at the DPC, Soldiers from the 16th SB completed their final manifest validation, received their threat briefing from their commander and measured and weighed their baggage and equipment for the flight.
***image1***“It’s going to be a near-full flight, so if everyone brought their 400 pounds of authorized baggage and equipment, we’re going to be close to being over the authorized cargo limit,” said Capt. David Hudak, deputy brigade operations officer.
“That’s why it’s so important to check the baggage here at the DPC before heading over to the ramp at Ramstein.”
Captain Hudak said the entire process takes about six hours to complete. The first four hours are at the DPC on Rhine Ordnance Barracks, and the final two hours are on the purple ramp at Ramstein,waiting for the call forward.
Captain Hudak said that this is the first deployment for the brigade as a whole. The 16th SB activated in July 2007 as part of the Army’s transformation in Europe. The 16th and the 7th Corps Support Groups combined and transformed into what is now the 16th SB. Oddly enough, the brigade inherited the unit crest of the 16th CSG, but took over the Unit Identification Code of the 7th CSG, he said.
A lot of training has gone into preparing the brigade for its first deployment. A Mission Readiness Exercise was conducted in February at Fort Knox, Ky., with what used to be the brigade’s higher command headquarters – the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command. In January, the 16th SB certified its 391st Combat Service Support Battalion and, in April, the brigade certified its 18th Combat Service Support
Battalion.
“We’ve received a lot of new equipment since we stood up last year,” Captain Hudak said. “These certifications provided good opportunities to test this equipment and use these new systems.”
“I took part in convoy live fire training and Humvee Egress Assistance Training as well as medical training within my section,” said Pvt. 1st Class Ben Malone, a combat medic in Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 16th SB. “A lot of what we trained on wasn’t what I expected, but with me being a new Soldier, I don’t have much to gauge it on.”
Private Malone said it was interesting for him to see all the components of the brigade working together during the train up certifications and exercises they conducted before deploying.
“You get used to working in your own little section, but witnessing the bigger picture with everyone working together was much more exciting,” he said.
The 16th SB will conduct sustainment and support operations while deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Thedeployment is expected to last one year.
