Moving a Supply Room
I’d like to share the creative idea of a hardworking Army logistician,
Sergeant First Class Dennis Eberhard, that I believe can be of use to other
Army units. Sergeant Eberhard is part of the 2–361 Combat Service Support
Battalion (USAR) out of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. His unit serves under the
2d Brigade, 91st Division (Training Support), at Fort Carson, Colorado. When
the 2–361 received orders to move from Fort Carson to Fort Bliss, Texas,
to train a brigade in the desert for an upcoming Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment,
Sergeant Eberhard was part of the movement planning team. The team not only
had to transport vehicles but also move a large supply room full of equipment,
supplies, and tools used to support the six observer-controller/trainer (OC/T)
teams for the many units receiving training. Sergeant Eberhard had to come
up with an efficient plan to move the large supply room quickly.
Sergeant Eberhard first noticed some MIL-VAN [military-owned demountable container]
storage containers at Fort Carson that were not being used. With proper permission,
and with assistance from a fellow noncommissioned officer, he acquired the
MILVANs for his OC/T teams and his supply section. Next, he received permission
to take large wall lockers that were being removed during a post barracks
renovation before they were destroyed. He then teamed up with a General Services
Administration-approved vendor of the Variable All Terrain Tiedown Systems
(VATTS).
Sergeant Eberhard’s idea was simple but effective. He needed large straps
to secure the wall lockers onto specially made tracks that would be installed
in the MILVANs. But he first needed to put his idea on paper and write a funding
request to the battalion executive officer, who was skeptical at first and
very frugal with battalion funds. A master sergeant with civilian experience
writing grants as an English professor crafted the funding proposal. Once
the proposal was approved, Sergeant Eberhard ordered and installed the equipment.
With his idea turned into reality, his unit quickly moved to Fort Bliss to
conduct base camp training. His mobile supply room trailers were a huge success
and quickly became noticed by deploying units. His creative idea and hard
work paid off.
Other units can take this simple but effective concept to make their supply
rooms mobile, organized, and ready for operation the minute they hit the ground.
Sergeant Eberhard is a model logistics warrior. For more information, contact
me at michael.d.poss@us.army.mil.
Captain Michael D. Poss, USAR
Norwalk, Iowa
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