STORY
AND PHOTOS BY
SGT. TRINACE JOHNSON
31ST ADA Bde. PAO
It's
12 hours since dawn and the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery,
31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade rail load nears an end. It
took nearly 100 soldiers to load rail cars and 20 to inspect them.
With
help from the 13th Maintenance Company, HHB 31st succeeded in
loading trains for shipment to an undisclosed location.
The
noncommissioned officer in charge of the rail load, Staff Sgt.
James Balbier, said safety was the major issue of the load. He
said prior to the rail load, he had key soldiers come out for
training and certification. "Training is the key to safety and
success," Balbier said.
"This
is my eighth time loading; I have to be flexible," Balbier said.
He went on to say that each rail load is different, and it can
change from day to day.
"This is pretty easy," said Pfc. Lori Duenas, HHB, 31st information
systems operation analyst. "I didn't understand (rail-load procedures)
at first, but I watched and asked questions. Now I know what to
do. It's exciting."
Rail-load
operations are routine for many batteries in the 31st ADA Brigade,
but this was the first one ever for HHB. Staff Sgt. Sandra Washington,
a legal specialist assigned to HHB, said this rail load was a
learning experience for her, adding that it was great to see soldiers
come together in such an organized fashion to complete a mission.
Spc. Carlisle
Corbin, 13 Maint., 3-2 Bn., repositions a chain and shackle to
get it to snap in place just right.
