MTMC ships Fort Lewis Stryker unit for duty in Iraq.The Army's new Stryker combat vehicles are headed for their first operational assignment--service in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Loading of the Fort Lewis-based Stryker Brigade Combat Team The brigade combat team (BCT) is the basic deployable unit of maneuver in the US Army. A brigade combat team consists of one combat arms branched maneuver brigade, and its attached support and fire units. began Oct. 9 at the port of Tacoma A major gateway to Asia and Alaska, the Port of Tacoma is a leading North American seaport, handling more than $35.6 billion in annual trade and nearly 2.1 million TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent container Units) in 2006. , Wash., by the 833rd Transportation Battalion, Military Traffic Management Command A major command of the US Army, and the US Transportation Command's component command responsible for designated continental United States land transportation as well as common-user water terminal and traffic management service to deploy, employ, sustain, and redeploy US forces on a , and the Army Reserve's 1192nd Transportation Terminal Brigade. The equipment was loaded aboard the USNS USNS United States Naval Ship (civilian-manned; in service) USNS United States Navy Seals Sisler, and the USNS Shughart. The ships are both Large, Medium-Speed, Roll-On/Roll-Off vessels of the Military Sealift Command A major command of the US Navy, and the US Transportation Command's component command responsible for designated common-user sealift transportation services to deploy, employ, sustain, and redeploy US forces on a global basis. Also called MSC. See also transportation component command. . This is the first time the large Navy ships have ever called on the port. The vessels were scheduled to depart for a port in the Central Command area of responsibility in mid-October. To meet the scheduled departure time, loading continued around the clock, said Master Sgt. Dian Vaz, NCOIC NCOIC Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (military) NCOIC Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium of the 833rd. The move represents another benchmark for the port of Tacoma as well. It is the biggest movement of military cargoes at the port since Operation Desert Shield in 1990. The cargo to be moved includes more than 1,300 vehicles, approximately 400,000-square feet of cargo, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Vaz. Approximately 300 of the vehicles are Strykers. "This is an historic move," said Lt. Col. Darren Zimmer, commander. "This is the first use of the Stryker vehicles in an active combat environment. My unit is honored to have such a significant role in support of both a changing Army and Operation Iraqi Freedom." The many firsts represented by the deployment do not make the work of delivering capability for the war fighter any more difficult, said Zimmer. "I think the novelty of the Stryker and all the attention paid to it make people think the mission is different, but it really is not. There are not a lot of differences in moving these and moving other Army equipment," he said. Warfighters from the Stryker brigade agreed. "Army cargo is Army cargo," said Lt. Col. Rob Choppa, deputy commander for the deploying brigade. To ensure the unit would be ready when the time came to deploy, the brigade rehearsed shipping out. "We did a deployment validation exercise and moved by ship from California to the Gulf of Mexico Noun 1. Gulf of Mexico - an arm of the Atlantic to the south of the United States and to the east of Mexico Golfo de Mexico Atlantic, Atlantic Ocean - the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east , said Choppa. Other parts of the brigade moved by air and by rail. Some Strykers were transferred to high-speed vessels at the Port of Beaumont The Port of Beaumont is a deep-water port located in Beaumont, Texas. It claims to rank as the fourth largest in the United States and the thirty-fourth largest in the world in terms of tonnage. It also claims to be the busiest military port in the U.S. for the trip to Lake Charles, La., and eventually Fort Polk for a rotation at the Joint Readiness Training Center. These training events proved to be invaluable experiences. "They are fantastic in getting small unit leaders ready to meet the challenges of the open road," said Choppa. The key to the smooth operation at the port was the early cooperation between MTMC MTMC Military Traffic Management Command (US DoD) MTMC Mount Marty College MTMC Micros-to-Mainframes, Inc. (stock symbol) MTMC Middle Tennessee Medical Center (Murfreesboro, TN) and the brigade. "I can't remark enough about what great support they've given us," said Choppa. The 833rd sent its experts to Fort Lewis to help with the planning process about two months before the scheduled departure. "As an infantry officer I can plan combined arms operations but port support and loading is something that is kind of new," Choppa said. Other brigade staff members echoed Choppa's sentiments. "I think the soldiers and civilians of the 833rd Transportation Battalion and the 1192nd Transportation Terminal Brigade have been nothing but professional," said Maj. Ramona Clemmons, military police planner for the combat team. "They have done a great job and I haven't had any [loading] issues." The move is the biggest involving Fort Lewis troops since 1966. The 833rd Transportation Battalion is headquartered in Seattle, Wash. The 1192nd Transportation Terminal Brigade is located in New Orleans. Don Dees, Public Affairs Specialist, Military Traffic Management Command |
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