Small units play big role in SDDC operations.

The Soldiers wear the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command s distinctive green patch but they are often overlooked in the official briefings and news stories.

They are deployed Army Reservists--working in both the United States and in Southwest Asia-who support the command's deployment and distribution missions every day.

Many of these small units, often with assigned Soldier strength of 20 or less Soldiers, ensure SDDC's major transportation actions take place.

In recent months, the 598th Transportation Group (Forward) at Ash Shuaiba, Kuwait, has worked over 130 vessels and moved 113,000 pieces of cargo.

One of the many representative small Army Reserve units making this possible is the 388th Transportation Detachment (Movement Control), of Decatur, Ga. Since its deployment in June 2003, the unit has played an invaluable role in SDDC operations.

The unit's mission is to work with the Integrated Computerized Deployment System section known as ICODES--the automated system that assist stow planning of vessels.

"We annotate where the equipment is placed on a vessel, this information is entered in the Integrated Computerized Deployment System to generate a final stow plan," said Staff Sgt. Tanya Bryant, commander.

"Knowing what equipment and where it is located aboard each vessel helps the logistician prioritize and better serve the combatant commander in the field."

Among the specialty items produced by the unit are deck drawings that give merchant mariners a clear view where each piece of cargo is located.

The high water mark for the unit's operations was probably March 2 when history was made. At the port of Ash Shuaiba, SDDC worked five ships simultaneously--four Large, Medium-Speed, Roll-on/Roll-off vessels and one Fast Sealift ship.

It was a benchmark record setter for SDDC and the Navy's Military Sealift Command. Never have so many of the giant ships been at any port in the world at one time. At planning conferences prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom II shipments, planners felt the port was capable of only handling two vessels at a time.

With the skills and talent of the Soldiers in the unit, Bryant said it is a "Dream Team."

"It is the best-of-the-best cargo documenters," said Bryant, of her Soldiers from Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

Other small Army and Army Reserve detachments working for the 598th include: 468th Contract Supervision Detachment, of Fort Meade, Md.; 509th Contract Supervision Detachment, of Panama City, Fla.; and the 91st Cargo Documentation Detachment, Fort Eustis, Va.; that make the entire operation possible.

"These small units are the quiet, unsung heroes of this war," said Col. Robert Askey, chief, plans, readiness and mobilization. "I am absolutely proud of them.

"They come from big towns and small all across the country.

"In the case of the 388th, you have a unit with a critical mission commanded by a staff sergeant. They are doing a tremendous job."

SDDC currently has 1,900 Reservists deployed in support of the War on Terror.

The Soldiers of the 388th include: Staff Sgt. Tanya Bryant, commander, of Stone Mountain, Ga.; Staff Sgt. Jason Brewer, of Gallatin, Tenn.; Sgt. Deborah Skinner, of Norcross, Ga.; Sgt. Stephen Harper, of Orange City, Fla.; Sgt. Jacqueline Boyle, of Tallahassee, Fla.; Sgt. Jorge Castillo, of Atlanta; Sgt. Jacqueline Garcia, of Cape Coral, Fla.; and Spc. Matthew Davis, of Power Springs, Ga.

The 388th Soldiers returned home to their families June 11.

Maj. Wilmer Moore, SDDC Operations Center