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***image1***Soldiers from Europe who deploy to support operations in Southwest Asia, Africa and Europe will continue to process through an organization run by the 21st Theater Sustainment Command. They will notice that the uniform has changed, but they will continue to receive excellent service.
The 29th Support Group, 21st TSC relinquished command of the Deployment Processing Center to the Theater Logistics Support Center Europe Nov. 30 during a transfer of authority ceremony at the DCP on Rhine Ordnance Barracks. The 29th SG is transferring several units as it prepares to deactivate in June 2008.
TLSC-E accepted the challenge and is ready to carry on the tradition of service that began in 1995 when Maj. Gen. James W. Wright, then 21st TSC commander, established the DCP to support operations in Bosnia.
Brig. Gen. Scott G. West, 21st TSC commander and guest speaker, reflected on the General Wright’s, known as “Chicken Man,” three things he needed in order to move a combat force from Germany to Bosnia, something that wasn’t commonly done in the mid-1990s.
General Wright was called “Chicken Man” because of a radio show in Chicago in 1966 that was famous for the phrase “Chicken Man, he’s everywhere, he’s everywhere,” and he was known to turn up unexpectedly and seemed to be everywhere.
“General Wright, in his wisdom knew that you’ve got have that base camp in Bosnia,” General West said. “You’ve got to have the place in Hungary, the intermediate staging base, but if you wanted to start right, you had to have a good power projection platform right here at Rhine Ordnance Barracks and that began the deployment process.”
General West said the DCP has served well since its beginning, processing U.S. and coalition forces for deployment to such places as Bosnia, Africa, Iraq and Afghanistan in the support of Global War on Terrorism.
General West went on to praise the 29th SG commanders and Soldiers, past and present, for a job well-done, whether it was processing one Soldier or a brigade.
“Through every mission, through every deployment, it might have only been one person going into Africa to do some humanitarian assistance piece or mortuary affairs recovery operations or huge forces like 1st Armored Division deployment into Bosnia, the 29th Support Group has never once stumped, never one time have you come up short,” General West said.
He also thanked them on behalf of all the servicemembers in the military.
“On behalf of the U.S., Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines and coalition forces that have launched on their operations from this great facility, on behalf of the countless people in Europe, Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan who have benefited from what those forces did because their deployment started right here,” General West said. “It’s extremely important.”
General West told TLSC-E it has some big shoes to fill and there will be bumps along the way, but expressed his confidence and faith in the civilian organization as it takes over the function and capabilities of the DCP.
“The track record that the awesome 29th Support Group built running this place has to continue,” General West said. “We cannot fail, we can’t falter in this mission in the future because that would represent mission failure for the forces deploying.
“If I had any doubt whatsoever, any doubt in my mind that that was at risk, we wouldn’t be here doing this today,” General West continued. “I would have made the case to keep a military force here to run it, but I have full faith and confidence in TLSC-E.”
General West said that General Wright would be pleased with the progress and transformation the 21st TSC has made since the mid-90s.
“If the Chicken Man was here today, he would be nothing but absolutely proud,” General West said. “Proud of your work that you Soldiers have done running this place over here, proud of where we are in our transformation, proud of the fact that we are at a point in our evolution, if you will, where we can hand over this awesome function and the responsibility to the TLSC-E.”
