MTMC top performers show zeal for job.

Four days after Capt. Samuel Miller reported for duty with the Military Traffic Management Command, he was on the road.

In the year or so since then, Miller, the Operations Officer of the 839th Transportation Battalion, Livorno, Italy, has had about 25 different port visits.

"I'm in the best job a transportation officer can have in the Army," said Miller, 30. "I am where the action is--in contingencies and in personal property and privately owned vehicles.

Miller is right.

The 839th excels in transportation operations with numerous shipments in and out of the Balkans. These days, ports with name like Rijeka, Croatia, and Thessaloniki, Greece, are familiar places for Miller.

With seven years of enlisted service, Miller attended Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Ga., in 1997. Since he was commissioned, Miller has also served as a platoon leader and executive officer at Fort Bragg, N.C.

The zeal Miller displays for the job is one reason he is MTMC Officer of 2000. In professional performance, Miller has close company.

Mr. Son Hui-chol, Staff Sgt. Kory Buckhout, and Spc. Demetrius Baker display the same energy and determination.

Son, of the 837th Transportation Battalion, Pusan, Korea, is MTMC's Civilian Employee of 2000. Buckhout, of the 835th Transportation Battalion, Okinawa, Japan, is MTMC's NCO of 2000. Baker, who with Son is also a member of the 837th Transportation Battalion, is MTMC's Enlisted Soldier of 2000.

All four top performers attended the MTMC Ball on Feb. 17, in Springfield, Va., to receive official recognition for their selection.

Mr. Son Hui-chol

Son, Supervisory Traffic Management Specialist, is a 17-year MTMC veteran.

He has worked his way through the ranks at the port and now, with a wealth of experience, including several years in the Korean army as a Special Forces officer, excels in his work.

"Mr. Son's talents are indispensable for the steady flow of cargo to the United States Forces Korea," said Lt. Col. Floyd Driver, Commander, 837th.

Son has the zeal to seek efficiency, said Driver.

When he noticed customers using expensive shipping containers as temporary storage, Son went to work. He identified temporary, less-expensive storage to customers, which both saves detention charges and speeds container turnover.

In a second major initiative, Son is the battalion's liaison with the Korean Port Training Institute, in Pusan. The partnership has provided battalion members with extensive training at reduced costs.

Recently, Son assisted in the donation of an institute-owned gantry crane simulator, valued at $67,000, to the U.S. Army Transportation School, Fort Eustis.

"I cannot thank everyone enough for this great honor" said Son. "I appreciate the constant support and efforts of the 837th Transportation Battalion family."

Son is currently enrolled at the Korean Maritime University, where he is studying for a doctorate in the school's Department of Shipping Management.

Staff Sgt. Kory Buckhout

Buckhout, 27, Personal Property Non-Commissioned Officer, is enjoying his three-year assignment on Okinawa.

"The people in Okinawa are very friendly," said Buckhout, who reported for duty in September 1999. "They are easy to work with."

One of the biggest challenges Buckhout faces involves privately owned vehicles.

"A lot of people try to ship non-conforming vehicles," said Buckk0ut, referring to foreign vehicles without American approved emission standards.

Buckhout works with service members to qualify their vehicles for shipment.

Okinawa is not a part of MTMC's Global POV Contract.

In his eight years of Army service, Buckhout reflects the Army's worldwide mission. While assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) at Fort Dram, N.Y., he served eight months in Somalia. While assigned to Germany, he performed missions in Hungry and Bosnia. While serving with the 7th Transportation Group, Fort Eustis, Va., he made three trips to the Joint Readiness Center, at Fort Polk, La.

Buckhout also travels with MTMC. He has participated in two missions to Thailand and one to Australia.

Spc. Demetrius Baker

Baker, 25, Cargo Specialist, has his sights set high.

After being introduced to MTMC Command Sgt. Maj. James Kirtland recently, Baker told him, "I want your job."

An 18-month veteran of the Army, Baker is just completing a one-year Korean tour and is transitioning to Fort Lewis, Wash.

In the past year, he mostly worked as the battalion's Assistant Nuclear/ Biological/Chemical Officer and Records Management Specialist.

Baker came to MTMC right out of Advanced Individual Training at Fort Eustis.

"What inspired me most was the non-commissioned officers in the unit," said Baker. "That's where I got the confidence that I was going to win."

Baker goes all out.

He scored a perfect 300 on the Army Physical Fitness Test.

Among the subjects he briefed in the competition: MTMC's Strategic Plan.