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The 793rd Movement Control Team, 7th Civil Support Command, conducted a reception, staging, onward-movement and integration validation exercise Feb. 29 to March 1 in Ramstein in preparation for a future deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“It started out a little slow and with a few bumps,” said 2nd Lt. Michael Mendes, a 793rd MCT mobility officer. “We got some kinks worked out and have been able to persevere.”
The 793rd MCT is trained for ground, rail, sea and air movement control operations and will be primarily involved with air operations during their imminent deployment.
“I think our validation and training is going great,” said Capt. Stephanie Mann, the commander of the 793rd MCT. “After this exercise they all have that warm and fuzzy feeling they can go downrange and accomplish their mission.”
The 793rd MCT has been training for three months by taking classes and participating in hands-on training. Although many of the Soldiers have different experiences in their civilian capacity, they came together and worked as a team, Mann said.
By being at Ramstein, it is possible to see how things worked on a larger scale, which provided the unit with an opportunity to get some hands-on training on some of the equipment they will be using on their mission, Mann said.
The Soldiers loaded pallets, weighed and measured vehicles, and simulated loading aircraft as a part of their training.
“The 793rd MCT has improved 500 fold,” said Col. Ardis Ferguson, the commander of the 209th Digital Liaison Detachment, 7th CSC. “The 793rd is a very young unit, so in comparison to the beginning, I am very impressed and feel extremely confident that this unit will do very well on this mission.”
Although the 793rd MCT is a Reserve unit and all the Soldiers have civilian jobs, they feel confident that they will be able to perform their military jobs flawlessly.
The 793rd MCT not only worked on heavy equipment such as forklifts and pallet loaders, but also completed the necessary paperwork associated with the loading of equipment onto the pallets.
“I finally get to see what happens on the other team and have learned how to load and process packs and pallets,” said Sgt. Gregory Williams, a movement control noncommissioned officer with the 793rd MCT and bulk storage facility operations manager at Ramstein in his civilian capacity. “Attention to detail is most important here, as planes cannot do their mission without us doing our job in a timely manner.”
The Air Force assisted the 793rd MCT during the exercise and offered equipment and advice to assist the unit.
“This is the first time I have done this type of training with an Army unit,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Christopher P. Abbott, an assistant noncommissioned officer in charge of combat readiness with the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron on Ramstein. “The 793rd MCT is doing extremely well and is learning very quickly how to integrate with the Air Force in a joint atmosphere.
“One of the largest problems was translating Air Force jargon into Army terminology and vice versa, but we adapted quickly and were able to train well with one another,” Abbott continued.
At the end of the two-day validation exercise, the 793rd MCT received their validation, finalizing them to deploy and perform their mission at the highest level.
