translog

THE JOURNAL OF SURFACE 

DEPLOYMENT AND DISTRIBUTION

Spring/Summer 2010

First Person:

Reopening 

Port-auPrince
2 translog Spring/Summer 2010

TRANSLOG is published by the Office of Command Affairs, 

Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, 

Headquarters, 709 Ward Drive, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois 

62225, in accordance with Army Regulation 360-1.

All photos property U.S. Army, unless otherwise noted.

Views expressed in TRANSLOG are not necessarily those of 

the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Military Surface Deployment 

and Distribution Command. Reference to commercial products or services does not imply Army endorsement. Unless 

otherwise stated, TRANSLOG material may be reprinted if 

credit is given to TRANSLOG and the author.

Submissions: TRANSLOG considers all manuscripts, photo 

essays, artwork, white papers and general news about military transportation, its history, and related human endeavors. Material, including photos, may be mailed or sent electronically. Scanned and digital images should be in full-color 

TIFF or JPEG format, at least 3” x 4”; preferably larger.

For additional guidance on submissions, content, distribution, 

or address changes contact the editor: 

Mike W. Petersen, Editor

(618) 220-5197

sddc.safb.translog@us.army.mil

Published July 15, 2010

translog

THE JOURNAL OF SURFACE 

DEPLOYMENT AND DISTRIBUTION

is a quarterly publication of

Military Surface Deployment 

and Distribution Command 

Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge

Commanding General

Command Sgt. Maj. James E. Riddick

Command Sergeant Major

Scott D. Ross

Director of Command Affairs

Mike W. Petersen

Editor

features 

departments 

Spring/Summer 2010

Transitions 3

from the Commanding General 4

from the Command Sergeant Major 5

ITV: In Transit Visibility 6

History: A single SDDC headquarters 9

SDDC in pictures 39

Diplomacy in distribution 15

First Person: Reopening Port-au-Prince 16

Humvees, marshmallows and the future 

 of defense transportation engineering 24

Army civilian named “Humanitarian of the Year” 27 

Center Wharf project modernizes ammo mission 30

JTFPO drill prepares for Pacific contingencies 32

Turbo CADS 2010 combines Army, Navy logistics 34

Eye in the sky tracks explosives in transit 36

Army’s oldest tug nearing end of service 38

27 32

9 39 S D D C 6

16
3 translog Spring/Summer 2010

transitions

The Office of the Army Chief of Staff announced in April that Col. (Promotable) Edward F. Dorman III, SDDC deputy commander, will be assigned as the commander and commandant, United 

States Army Transportation Center and School at Fort Eustis, Va. Dorman has served as deputy commander for SDDC since Aug. 27, 2009. SDDC’s new deputy commander, Col. Paul Hurley, arrived 

at SDDC Headquarters July 12.

Col. Dennis Harber handed the 595th Transportation Brigade colors to Col. John Sullivan in a 

change of command ceremony July 6 in Kuwait.

Col. Steve Farmen, commander of 598th Transportation Brigade, reliquished command in a 

ceremony in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, July 8 to Col. William L. Moseley.

Col. Ed Casazza passed the 1179th Transportation Brigade colors to Col. Clifford Cadle in a ceremony May 15 on the bluff at Fort Hamilton, N.Y. Casazza retired after 30 years of service to the nation. 

SDDC deputy chief of staff for training, readiness 

and mobilization Col. Lynn Locklear retired in a ceremony at Fort Eustis, Va., April 13. Col. David Hargrave 

is the new head of G7 at SDDC Headquarters, Scott Air 

Force Base.

Navy Capt. Bob Little, director of SDDC G6, retired 

in a ceremony at Scott Air Force Base July 2. Little was 

instrumental in standing up SDDC operations at Scott, 

and ensuring the complex communications needs of the 

command were met.

Air Force Lt. Col. Dan Bradley retired from military 

service April 16. Bradley headed the Defense Personal 

Propoerty Program. He now serves as director of the 

Defense Transportation Tracking System for SDDC.

Michael Patterson, SDDC director of acquisitions, departed to be chief of management assessment for U.S. Army Contracting Command. Patterson will help establish the command’s operations 

at Redstone Aresenal, Ala. 

Lt. Col. Ralph Riddle relinquished command of 832nd Transportation Battalion to Lt. Col. C. 

Bleu Hilburn, in a ceremony in Jacksonville, Fla., May 19. 

In Iraq, 831st Deployments and Distribution Support Battalion bid farewell to Lt. Col. Rhonda 

Fisher, and welcomed new commander Lt. Col. John D. Kaylor, Jr., June 10.

Lt. Col. Gregory Bunn took command of 836th Transportation Battalion from Lt. Col. Craig 

Jorgenson in a ceremony at Yokohama, Japan, June 22. 

Also in the Pacific area of responsibility, Lt. Col Sam C. Blanton III reliquished command of 

837th Transportation Battalion June 25 to Lt. Col. Kristian Rogers.

Lt. Col. Russell E. Cole passed the colors of 834th Transportation Battalion to Lt. Col. Chris 

Hart in a change of command June 30 at the Port Chicago Memorial in Military Ocean Terminal 

Concord, Calif.

Lt. Col. Robert Lehman, commander of 833rd Transportation Battalion, passed the unit colors to 

Lt. Col. John A Redinger in a July 16 change of command ceremony. 

Lt. Col. Dan Bradley speaks at his 

retirement ceremony April 16.
4 translog Spring/Summer 2010

from the Commanding General

At the annual SDDC Training Symposium in Atlanta, I 

looked out from the podium at nearly 1,500 servicemembers, 

civilians, contractors and industry partners committed to serving 

our nation’s military. 

As the Shipper Performance Awards were presented, I was 

reminded of the scope of our surface transportation mission: 

For each individual crossing the stage that night to accept their 

award, there was an unseen team of people that helped to earn 

that recognition. Behind that team was an organization that 

kept them operating to fulfill their mission. Even with that great 

turnout, the true number of people working tirelessly in support 

of SDDC, the Department of Defense and the nation, is exponentially larger. 

A few short weeks later, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates 

and Gen. David Petraeus, then commanding general of U.S. Central Command, presented U.S. Transportation Command with the 

Joint Meritorious Unit Award. Our operational higher command 

was being honored for the transportation and logistics support 

provided in two wars, in Haiti, and every day around the world 

through an era of unique challenges and changes. It was awe-inspiring to see that larger team of transportation experts, including SDDC, Military Sealift Command 

and Air Mobility Command, recognized by the highest level of our military, and an honor to be part 

of that accomplishment. But again, the few on stage that day representing a multitude of servicemembers, civilians, contractors and industry partners that enable USTRANSCOM and SDDC.

Soon, this command will call one place home for the first time in its 45-year history. SDDC has 

worked since the 2005 BRAC announcement in preparation for this move to make it seamless to our 

customers and partners. While it will be a new experience for our command after several restructurings (and a renaming or two), SDDC’s first duty has always been, and will remain to provide worldclass logistical support to our nation’s Warfighters, anywhere for any mission. 

Everywhere I’ve traveled, I’ve seen this commitment to our troops in action. SDDC and our partners work relentlessly, whether that means getting ammunition to Marines in Afghanistan, pallets of 

water to the people of Haiti, or a family’s household goods to their new home. The scope of our missions is overshadowed only by the strength and dedication of those carrying out those missions.

I feel blessed to have traveled around the world meeting those unseen – but no longer unsung – 

heroes of the 21st century U.S. military. In the devastation of Port-au-Prince, the mountains of Afghanistan, the streets of Baghdad and our ports around the globe, I have seen the faces of SDDC. I am 

proud to have commanded this organization not because of the quantity we can move or the means we 

find to move it, but because of the quality of those making it move. You have always been committed, 

dependable and relentless.

JAMES L. HODGE

Major General, USA

Commanding
5 translog Spring/Summer 2010

SDDC recently celebrated 45 years as the global surface 

transportation experts for the Department of Defense. Though 

much has changed in that time, I am confident in saying there 

has never been a time of more rapid change. Maybe it’s the drill 

sergeant in me, but I love challenges like this. The pace at which 

SDDC is operating right now and the adaptability displayed daily 

by the SDDC team give me confidence that we’re able to face 

new challenges with flexibility and dependability. We’re meeting 

new missions and developing new capabilities, all while becoming part of a new community.

The Rapid Port Opening Elements, our contingency logistics 

Soldiers, have proven their mettle, fulfilling their roles with U.S. 

Transportation Command’s Joint Task Force - Port Opening in 

Haiti at Port-au-Prince’s air and sea ports. The training, initiative and dedication of the entire JTF-PO team ensured that cargo 

and relief supplies flowed into Haiti in its greatest time of need. 

Humanitarian missions like Haiti define the American military 

as much as any combat mission. As powerful as our military is, 

strength alone is not the core of the American military. It is our 

compassion and sacrifice that makes us who we are. I couldn’t be 

more proud of our troops, civilians and industry partners.

In the midst of two wars, contingency responses and myriad other missions, SDDC is still planning and building for the future of global distribution. At Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, Col. 

Mark Hagan and his team cut the ribbon on the Center Wharf Project in May. This project reflects 

changes in how we ship and handle munitions, as well as the needs of the servicemembers fighting 

two wars. At least nine out of every ten rounds sent to Iraq and Afghanistan flow through MOTSU; 

modernizing this crucial facility will make SDDC more responsive to the needs of our nation’s military worldwide. 

Beyond new missions and capabilities, we also have a new home. Some of the Scott Air Force 

Base community may not realize there’s an Army command here among all the Air Force blue, much 

less the command responsible for global surface transportation, defense transportation engineering 

and all personal property moves (to mention a few of our missions).

 Outreach efforts, like Transportation Engineering Agency’s recent visit to Albers Elementary 

School, help students learn about the opportunities their education will provide, and help SDDC and 

the Army become a familiar face to the communities that we now call home. Our friends, neighbors 

and future servicemembers should know who keeps the military moving from fort to port to foxhole, 

no matter what challenges arise. Until next time...

from the Command Sergeant Major

Let’s Roll!

James E. Riddick

CSM, USA
6 translog Spring/Summer 2010

in transit visibility in transit visibility ITV transportation and logistics news

SDDC captain named officer of the year

In six short years, Capt. Jason 

Wood has worked transportation 

challenges from the boots-on-theground duties of a platoon leader 

in Iraq to the complex environment 

at the highest levels of military 

logistics, picking up a prestigious 

Transportation Corps award along 

the way.

Wood, current aide-de-camp to 

Military Surface Deployment and 

Distribution Command’s commanding general, has been deployed for 

three of his six years of service. His 

time downrange in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring 

Freedom has contributed to his selection as the 2009 Army Transportation 

Corps Officer of the Year Award. As a platoon 

leader in the 89th Transportation Company in 

Iraq in 2006, Wood ran 21 missions and logged 

more than 22,650 miles providing convoy escort 

security for local national, military and contracted transportation companies, providing all 

classes of supply throughout the Iraqi theater. 

Nearly a third of Wood’s convoys were 

struck by improvised explosive devices, small 

arms fire and complex attacks. Wood kept a cool 

head and was able to move the convoys to safety 

each time. 

Wood was recognized as the best officer in 

the 89th Trans. Co., and was later selected as the 

unit’s commander. 89th Trans. Co. deployed to 

Taji, Iraq in 2008.

As company commander, Wood supervised 

the completion of more than 800 convoys that 

covered more than 700,000 miles, carrying more 

than one million tons of supplies and equipment 

to U.S. and other Coalition forces in Iraq.

But more important than the tonnage of the 

gear they transported or how far it had to travel, 

according to Wood, is the fact that they completed their missions without losing a single Soldier.

“That’s been the highlight of my transportation career: Being selected for company command, getting a chance to deploy them and bring 

everyone back safe,” said Wood. “We spent an 

entire year in the Baghdad area and didn’t lose 

any Soldiers.”

As company commander, Wood said he 

learned a great deal about how to overcome 

personality conflicts and get groups of people 

to work together. He described one situation in 

which two people were ideally suited to solve 

a problem, but couldn’t get along because of 

seemingly irreconcilable personal differences. 

An unconventional approach to the problem got 

the two Soldiers to work as a team.

“They were both really good at their respective jobs, and if any two could figure a fix to the 

problem it was them,” said Wood. “So, long stoBy Erik Johnson

SDDC Command Affairs

Capt. Jason Wood heads a formation of the 89th Transportation Company as they prepare to redeploy from Iraq in 

2008. Wood was named 2009 Army Transportation Corps 

Officer of the Year at a ceremony July 9 at Fort Eustis, Va.
7 translog Spring/Summer 2010

The Office of the Army Chief of Staff announced April 20 

that Maj. Gen. Kevin A. Leonard has been selected as the next 

commander of SDDC. Leonard is currently the deputy chief of 

staff for Operations at the U.S. Army Materiel Command, Fort 

Belvoir, Va. 

Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge, SDDC commanding general 

since June 30, 2008, has been selected to command the Sustainment Center of Excellence and Fort Lee, Va. 

A change of command will be held Aug. 25 at Scott Air 

Force Base.

Next SDDC commander announced

Maj. Gen. Kevin A. Leonard

ry short, I made them roommates. I know, scary, 

but it worked... I think they hated me more than 

they hated each other for a while.”

Wood’s skills and dedication as company 

commander ultimately led to his nomination and 

assignment as aide-de-camp for the commanding 

general, SDDC, Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge in 

2010.

 “I was extremely honored when they picked 

me as Officer of the Year,” said Wood. “I owe it 

all to the great leaders I’ve had in the past and 

what I’ve learned from their mentorship. I also 

attribute it to all the Soldiers who have served 

under me. All their hard work makes the leader 

look good.”

Wood extended personal thanks to 

Hodge, Col. Charles Maskell, 7th Sustainment Brigade commander, and Lt. Col. 

Kevin Powers at the 6th Transportation 

Battalion. Powers, who nominated Wood 

for the award, is himself a former Transportation Corps Officer of the Year. He 

also shares Wood’s love of running.

Wood has run three marathons; one 

in Iraq, one in North Carolina and one in 

St. Louis. His fastest time is 3 hours, 28 

minutes, but he said he hopes to finish his next 

marathon faster than 3 hours, 10 minutes in order 

to qualify for the Boston Marathon. 

Wood also runs shorter races, and recently 

placed third in a charity 5K run in Belleville, Ill.

“I didn’t win, but I was talking to the Kenyan 

guy who beat me about his training and he said 

‘The cheetahs aren’t that bad,’ so I guess if he 

has to train with that, he deserves it,” said Wood.

Wood will move to Fort Lee, Va., after the 

SDDC change of command in August, where he 

will continue serving as Hodge’s aide-de-camp 

until his Transportation Officer Advanced Course 

begins in February 2011.

Capt. Jason Wood looks out the door of 

a UH-60 Black Hawk during a visit to 

Operation Unified Response in Haiti.
8 translog Spring/Summer 2010

in transit visibility ITV transportation and logistics news

By Erik Johnson

SDDC Command Affairs

SDDC formally cased its colors at Fort 

Eustis, Va., July 1.

In a ceremony at the Del Mar Building, 

Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge, commander, 

SDDC; Maj. Gen. (retired) Monty Montero, former commander, Military Traffic 

Management Command; and Command 

Sgt. Maj. James Riddick, command 

sergeant major, SDDC, lowered the command’s colors signifying the SDDC Operations Center’s move to Scott Air Force 

Base, Ill.

“Today we celebrate the end of an era in 

the proud lineage of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command,” said 

Scott Ross, SDDC’s director of command 

affairs and master of ceremonies. “The Base 

Realignment and Closure commission of 1995 

brought our organization to Fort Eustis and, ironically, the 2005 BRAC is the impetus for the end of 

this chapter in the command’s history.”

The move is the final stage of SDDC’s consolidation under BRAC 2005, which recommended 

that SDDC headquarters, Operations Center and 

Transportation Engineering Agency be consolidated from multiple facilities in Virginia and colocated with U.S. Transportation Command and 

Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base. 

In addition to Hodge and Montero, Dr. Patricia 

Davis and Debra Del Mar, daughters of former 

MTMC commander Maj. Gen. Henry R. Del Mar, 

SDDC’s longest-serving commander, attended the 

ceremony at the building named for their father.

During the ceremony, 60 SDDC employees 

who have been with the command since the initial 

move to Fort Eustis were awarded with an SDDCFort Eustis plaque. 

“For almost 12 years, Fort Eustis has been a 

focal point of this command,” said Hodge. “And 

for just under a decade, the Del Mar Building has 

been our operational nerve center.”

In 1998, MTMC – now SDDC – was moved 

to Fort Eustis as part of BRAC 1995. In 2000, 

the MTMC Operations Center was moved to Fort 

Eustis from Alexandria, Va. During this transition, 

MTMC also had to meet the daunting task of supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. 

Hodge praised the efforts of Fort Eustis personnel across the board, from the incorporation of 

the 597th Transportation Group to the beginnings 

of the BRAC 2005 move.

“It is a considerable compliment to say that 

you have maintained the mission while executing 

BRAC,” said Hodge. “But you also have helped 

this command improve and respond to emergencies. Whether it was standing up Crisis Action 

Teams to face hurricanes in September 2008 or to 

respond to the deadly Haitian earthquake this past 

January, you have been ready to do what needs to 

be done.”

SDDC cases colors at Del Mar Building

Fort Eustis was “operational nerve center” since 2000

Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddick, command sergeant 

major, Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Monty Montero, former commander, and Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge, commanding 

general, case the SDDC colors.
9 translog Spring/Summer 2010

World War II pilot presented Silver Star in 

front of military’s future leaders

Generations of family and friends honored 13 

young adults recently nominated to attend military service academies, and witnessed the longoverdue recognition of a World War II hero at a 

ceremony May 23 on the campus of the University of Missouri St. Louis. 

The keynote speaker, Michael Williams, 

deputy to the commander of Military Surface 

Deployment and Distribution Command, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1983 and 

reminisced about his time at West Point.

He drew laughter from the crowd while recounting phone calls he had with his mother over 

the trials and tribulations of adjusting to life as a 

first-year plebe, but his message to the nominees 

was simple: “Be the best individual you can.”

U.S. Rep. William Lacy Clay hosts the ceremony every year to recognize graduating seniors 

from Missouri’s First Congressional District who 

are nominated to attend the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, the U.S. Air Force 

Academy and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. This year’s event had a special surprise that 

was 66 years overdue.

Edward Stevens, 94, received the nation’s 

third-highest military award, the Silver Star for 

gallantry. 

In June 1944, then Lt. Stevens was a B-17 

pilot. He and his crew of 10 were on a mission 

over France when their plane was hit 151 times 

by anti-aircraft fire. Three of the plane’s four 

engines failed and Stevens 

tried to maneuver the plane 

safely out of enemy territory. 

He successfully navigated 

the English Channel but 

could not fly the damaged 

plane high enough to avoid 

the white Cliffs of Dover 

that tower some 300 feet 

above the water. In a splitsecond decision, he headed 

for the beach at the base 

of the cliffs. The cockpit 

snapped from the fuselage 

upon landing, but all on 

board survived.

Stevens remained humble 

throughout the presentation. Edward Stevens (seated center) receives the nation’s third-highest 

military award, the Silver Star for gallantry, 66 years after nursing 

his B-17 across the English Channel on one engine and crash-landing 

with all of his crew safe on the beaches of Dover, England. Michael 

Williams, deputy to the commander of SDDC (center), and U.S. Rep. 

William Lacy Clay, Missouri 1st District (seated at right), presented the 

medal at an event for military academy nominees.

By Scott D. Ross

SDDC Command Affairs Director
10 translog Spring/Summer 2010

in transit visibility in transit visibility ITV transportation and logistics news

Gates presents USTRANSCOM with Joint 

Meritorious Unit Award

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates traveled 

to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., April 1 to personally 

present U.S. Transportation Command with the 

Joint Meritorious Unit Award. 

The award is granted to joint activities for 

meritorious achievement or service, superior to 

that which is normally expected, for actions in 

the following situations: combat with an armed 

enemy of the United States, a declared national 

emergency or under extraordinary circumstances 

that involve national interests. 

“I am glad to get the chance to be here today 

to have the opportunity to present the Joint Meritorious Unit Award to the men and women of the 

United States Transportation Command,” Gates 

said. “You should know that this award is the 

first and only award that I have personally issued 

in my eight-plus years as Secretary of Defense.” 

Gates was joined by Army Gen. David H. 

Petraeus, commander of U.S. Central Command, 

who oversees operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, 

Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander 

of USTRANSCOM, and other senior civilian and 

military officials. 

“Mr. Secretary, I want to thank you for personally flying out to Scott Air Force Base today,” 

Petraeus said. “Nobody deserves this honor 

more.” 

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell 

told Pentagon reporters March 30, “Secretary 

Gates believes the members of TRANSCOM are 

among the unsung heroes of our military efforts 

around the world, and this award allows him to 

personally thank this dedicated and unheralded 

team of professionals.” 

USTRANSCOM also played an instrumental 

role in U.S. relief efforts in Haiti following the 

devastating earthquake, Morrell said. 

“In responding to the catastrophic earthquake 

in Haiti, TRANSCOM has provided over 2 million meals, more than 5 million liters of water to 

the island, in ongoing humanitarian and disasterrelief operations,” Morrell said. 

The citation accompanying the award reads: 

“Headquarters, United States Transportation 

Command distinguished itself by exceptionally 

meritorious achievement from 1 March 2007 to 

28 February 2010. During this period, the ComDefense Secretary Robert 

M. Gates prepares to attach 

the Joint Meritorious Unit 

Award on the USTRANSCOM guidon while U.S. 

Air Force General Duncan 

McNabb, USTRANSCOM 

commander, stands at attention during a presentation 

ceremony on Scott Air Force 

Base, Ill., April 1.

By Bob Fehringer, USTRANSCOM Public Affairs
11 translog Spring/Summer 2010

mand consistently displayed exceptional collaborative leadership and execution of wartime 

missions for United States forces engaged in 

Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. 

“The Command’s three components--Air 

Mobility Command, Military Sealift Command, 

and Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command--carried over 5 million passengers, 25 thousand patients, and 7.5 million short 

tons in support of United States Central Command’s two main operations ... U.S. TRANSCOM expedited the delivery of thousands of sets 

of individual body armor, armored vehicles, and 

supplemental armor kits, in addition to supporting troop surges in both Iraq and Afghanistan.” 

McNabb thanked Gates and Petraeus and 

lauded the efforts of those under his command. 

“You have honored us today by your presence and your words,” McNabb said. “And we 

are humbled by the trust you have in us. We will 

strive to always, always be worthy of that trust.”

By James Coe, SDDC Lean Six Sigma Manager

Eltjo Verweij recently became the first SDDC 

host-nation employee to receive Lean Six Sigma 

certification.

Verweij is a citizen of The Netherlands working for the U.S. Army as an equipment specialist 

with the 598th Transportation Brigade, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Verweij and a team from 

598th Transportation Brigade recently completed 

a Green Belt Lean Six Sigma project improving 

Government Purchase Card procedures. 

The project goal was to reduce errors in and 

decrease the time spent on GPC administration. 

The project maximized the use of Transportation Financial Management System to generate 

unique requisition numbers used to approve, 

fund, pay, and archive the transactions.

Instead of using up to five systems to process 

a purchase, the team executed a two-month pilot 

project showing this could be reduced to two. 

The pilot was so successful the solutions 

were implemented immediately. Additionally, 

the team developed a customer-friendly supply 

request form. This form combines at least five 

forms used previously. The project resulted in a 

70 percent decrease in errors, and the time spent 

on GPC administration was reduced 50 percent. 

In addition to Verweij, the project team 

included Gary Allen, director of logistics, project 

sponsor; Ken Andrews, property book officer and 

process owner; Yvonne Looyé and Inge van Wattum, supply subject matter experts; Monique Baptist, contract specialist; and René de Wit, resource 

management. 

Other 598th team members assisted on the 

project including Sgt. 1st Class Sharon Andrews, 

Ralph Compton, Marie-Dominique Courtois, 

Richard van der Heijden, Henk Kamp, Daniel 

Malinici, and Willem Waasdorp. Paul Bartha 

and Rick Rodriguez from the SDDC LSS Office 

provided coaching and Steve McCoy from G8 

provided resource management support.

First foreign-national employee certified as 

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Eltjo Verweij is the first SDDC foreign-national employee certified as a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt.
40 years ago

An article details the Test of Containerized Shipments for Ammunition. TOCSA revealed multiple 

benefits in containerizating ammo: “The amount 

of handling required... was two to eight times less 

than a conventional break-bulk-shipment.”

TRANSLOG, September 1969

30 years ago

Volcanic fallout: Approximately 26,000 miles of 

highway in Washington are considered impassable. 

Several bridges in the vicinity of [Mount St. Helens] were knocked out by uprooted timber washed 

into streams by the eruption.

Newsreview, TRANSLOG, June 1980

from the archives

translog Spring/Summer 2010 12

I

n August, SDDC will realize a first in its history. 

The command will share a single, consolidated 

headquarters for the first time. This milestone will 

happen as a result of the May 2005 DOD recommendations to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 

Commission. Before May 2005, two other factors 

set the stage. Maj. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, commander, MTMC/SDDC (2002-2004), made a consolidated headquarters a major priority and Gen. John W. 

Handy, commander, U.S. Transportation Command 

(2001-2005) strongly influenced the ultimate location 

of the new SDDC headquarters. 

As it turned out, the decision to put HQ SDDC in 

Southern Illinois was prompted by a factor outside 

USTRANSCOM: Handy’s need to respond to the 

BRAC rebasing proposals of Air Force and Office of 

Secretary of Defense planners. Their potential interest 

in closing Scott, if not countered, would have resulted 

in an unwelcome move by U.S. Transportation Command, Air Mobility Command and possibly SDDC 

as well. His determination to save Scott and to shape 

what seemed an inevitable co-location of component 

commands led Handy to persuade DOD to endorse 

bringing SDDC to Scott, which had been his initial 

preference anyway. This initiative overruled Dunwoody’s plan to place the new headquarters at Fort 

Eustis, Va.

A single headquarters for MTMC/SDDC became a 

specific proposal in 2002-2003. Multiple geographically-separate operational headquarters were the norm 

for MTMC until November 7, 2001. 

Headquarters Military Traffic Management and 

Terminal Serives (MTMTS) and later MTMC maintained an operational headquarters at Falls Church and 

Alexandria from the command’s activation on February 15, 1965 to November 2001. At the same time, as 

many will recall, day-to-day operations were conducted from Eastern Area headquarters at Brooklyn, 

N.Y. and later Bayonne, N.J., as well as Western Area 

headquarters at Oakland, Calif., from 1967 to 1998. 

BRAC 1995 decisions to close both bases compelled a partial change. On September 23, 1998, positions formerly at the Bayonne and Oakland operations 

centers formally were combined into a single entity 

with the activation of the Deployment Support Command (DSC) at Fort Eustis, Va.

A single SDDC headquarters: 

From concept to actuality

MTMC’s first headquarters at the Nassif Building, 

Washington, D.C.

By Dr. Kent Beck, SDDC command historian
13 translog Spring/Summer 2010

20 years ago

“MTMC Supports Desert Shield In Livorno, 

Italy,” details the involvement of MTMC Terminal 

Italy in the largest movement of the Army materiel 

through the Port of Livorno since American troops 

left Austria in 1955.

Bram de Jong, TRANSLOG, October, 1990

10 years ago

“MTMC Bosnia support: 839th Transportation 

Battalion unloaded the first National Guard peacekeeping troops since the Army assumed the Bosnia 

mission in late 1995.

 

George Voryas, TRANSLOG, May 2000

13

The base closings and consolidation at Eustis reflected the underlying reality that multiple operational 

headquarters became hard to sustain with the end of 

the Cold War. As U.S. military forces were downsized 

after 1991 and advances in communications made 

instant contact easier, regional headquarters seemed 

less necessary than before. Pentagon budget cuts 

aimed to maximize efficiency in the 1990’s by removing redundancies. MTMC was compelled to manage a series of cutbacks which extended into the new 

century. In this environment, Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. 

Privratsky, MTMC commander (1999-2002) decided 

to consolidate the entire operations staff at Fort Eustis in a single location in November 2001, a step that 

eliminated 260 manpower slots at Alexandria as of the 

end of March 2002.

Privratsky’s successor, Dunwoody, regretted the 

consolidation at Fort Eustis. As she recalled in an 

early 2005 oral history interview, “one of the most 

frustrating pieces of my command [time], especially 

when you have a war going on” was “that the Operations Center was at a different location.” As she put 

it, “You can’t divorce yourself from operations when 

there is a war going on, even with a split-based headquarters.” Specific operational requirements such as 

a daily situation report were made much harder by 

an initial shortage of advanced, secure communications between Alexandria and Fort Eustis. In addition 

to having a SIPRNET terminal installed at her desk, 

Dunwoody overcame the distance through “regular 

VTC (video teleconferences) IWS (Info Work Space) 

sessions, constant telephone calls, lots of travel back 

and forth to make sure that we at the headquarters 

(Alexandria) had the same operating picture and could 

influence and weigh the battle from the headquarters 

as they had done from the Operations Center.”

Dunwoody found the situation “very challenging” 

at best, especially given her personal view that “nothing is ever as good as face-to-face communication.” 

As a remedy, she added, “we immediately tried to put 

a plan into place to consolidate our headquarters – 

move it out of the Hoffman Building in Alexandria to 

Fort Eustis so we could eliminate the seam between 

our headquarters.” 

MTMC commissioned a study that in June 2003 

recommended consolidation at Fort Eustis over Fort 

Belvoir, Va., Scott AFB, Ill. and MacDill AFB, Fla. 

Notably, Dunwoody decided that a future headquarters 

also should include Transportation Engineering Agency (TEA), then in a public office building at Newport 

News, Va. 

Favoring a single headquarters was a viable notion 

in 2002-2003 because it was now clear that MTMC 

would have to leave Alexandria. After the Sept. 11, 

2001 attacks, DOD decided to move its commands 

that were in public buildings onto military installations 

as a security measure. The original post 9-11 plan 

called for MTMC to vacate the Hoffman II building in 

Alexandria for nearby Fort Belvoir, as Army Materiel 

Command subsequently did in 2004. 

Dunwoody opposed the Belvoir option because it 

would not end her separation from Fort Eustis which, 

Maj. Gen. Kenneth L. Privratsky, MTMC commander, 

1999-2002.
translog Spring/Summer 2010 14

to her mind, had become the command’s “center of 

gravity” in an era of ongoing major operations in 

Southwest Asia likely to continue for years. Going to 

Fort Eustis, as she saw it, promised to end MTMC’s 

ties to a “high-lease building,” improve security, and 

enable a consolidated headquarters.

Handy’s reaction to the study and Dunwoody’s 

desire to go to Southern Virginia mixed a different 

point of view with specific support. When informed 

that the Army was going to relocate HQ MTMC, the 

USTRANSCOM commander recalled asking, “Why 

not move them right here to Scott?” He disagreed 

with the study’s conclusion that moving SDDC to 

Scott would be too costly. Nevertheless, when Dunwoody announced her plan to move to Fort Eustis in 

a November 2003 town hall briefing, she included the 

news that Handy had approved the concept six days 

earlier. With the city of Newport News, Va., willing to 

fund the construction of a building, Dunwoody hoped 

to begin construction in late 2004 with completion by 

late 2005. All SDDC offices would remain in place 

until the new building was ready. However, delays 

later generated an option to occupy temporary, modular buildings at Fort Eustis with the new building’s 

completion projected by March 2006. The Department of the Army’s approval process stalled when the 

Army decided to defer their review until BRAC 2005 

was complete.

By early 2005, it was clear to senior USTRANSCOM leaders that Office of the Secretary of Defense 

and United States Air Force planners were 

contemplating major changes that would 

have closed Scott and relocated USTRANSCOM and AMC Blue either to Offutt AFB, 

Neb., or to McGuire AFB, N.J. Under the latter 

option, SDDC would have shifted to Fort Dix, N.J., 

adjacent to McGuire. Another possibility would have 

consolidated SDDC and Military Sealift Command 

(MSC) at Fort Eustis. This list of alternatives also 

included bringing SDDC and MSC to Scott. Handy 

naturally favored the Scott alternative. The USTRANSCOM commander started his own assessment 

process that generated proposals to bring SDDC and 

MSC’s Program Manager (PM) 5 Sealift program to 

Scott, while also consolidating several functions to 

save $1.24 billion and trim manpower by 16 percent 

over 20 years. While the MSC portion was removed, 

the remainder of the USTRANSCOM plan was submitted to the BRAC commission and won approval.

While Dunwoody left SDDC in August 2004, nine 

months before the BRAC 2005 recommendations were 

announced, her concept of a consolidated headquarters 

survived, even if it would become a reality later and at 

a different location than she had planned. As she put 

it, “We all need to work as one team at one location.” 

As a general principle, she also stressed that DOD mobility operations amounted to “a team sport” in which 

successful movements depended on “a lot of hard 

work, coordination and teamwork.” Part of that coordination meant SDDC being “an integral part of the 

USTRANSCOM team.” The consolidated headquarters was only one point of Dunwoody’s “transformation” program, which grew out of MTMC’s enhanced 

role within USTRANSCOM’s extended responsibilities as the DOD Distribution Process Owner as of 

September 2003. It included the successful renaming 

of the command as SDDC undertaken in close cooperation with Handy. 

A single headquarters may be a secondary matter 

but, put another way, General Dunwoody’s vision for 

SDDC meant ending 40 years of separate command 

headquarters. Almost seven years after it was proposed, that vision will be realized in August 2010. 

Maj. Gen. Ann Dunwoody, SDDC commander and Gen. 

John Handy, USTRANSCOM commander, unfurl the 

SDDC colors at the command’s renaming ceremony in 

2004.
15 translog Spring/Summer 2010 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Surface Deployment and Distribution Command’s missions extend to countries with diverse 

political systems, each with its own rules and customs. On any given day, SDDC may be responsible for more than 1,000 trucks, 10 trains and 35 

ships moving more than 1,000 shipments of DOD 

household goods, 200 privately owned vehicles, 

500 container shipments and 1,600 shipments of 

domestic freight all around the world.

With such a global reach, it is important to 

keep an eye on the political implications of any 

action.To this end, SDDC has added to its staff the 

command’s first Foreign Policy Advisor (POLAD), Mr. Gordon Church.

As POLAD for SDDC, Church will assist the 

commander by offering advice during complex 

operations such as humanitarian assistance, natural disasters and regional conflicts. His duties will 

include anticipating diplomatic obstacles, suggesting alternative courses of action, identifying 

opportunities for enhanced security cooperation, 

and facilitating contacts with foreign government 

and private sector officials. 

Church previously worked at the U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of 

the Congo, where he served as a political military 

officer. Before this assignment, Church said that 

he has been traveling the world for years. 

“In fact,” he said, “I don’t think I’ve even 

lived in one country for more than two years in 

the last 20.” 

His previous stations include posts in Berlin, 

Thailand, Korea, India and many other countries 

around the world. Church said he liked many of 

his posts, but his favorite was Thailand. 

“We really enjoyed Thailand. The people were 

nice and the food was good,” said Church. 

As a foreign relations professional and frequent traveler, Church speaks five languages. 

Over the course of his work, he has learned 

French, German, Korean and Chinese. 

“And some people believe I speak English,” 

he added. 

Church said he is excited to work with SDDC 

because he is a former Soldier himself. He served 

in the 2nd Infantry Division, and then as a battle 

captain working intelligence in Korea. 

“It’s a great group of people,” he said. “And 

it’s a natural fit for me.” 

The POLAD program is a joint venture between DOD and the State Department designed to 

let State Department employees work closely with 

DOD commands and provide advice and information on the political side of military actions. 

POLADs are recruited, assigned and paid by 

the State Department, but report directly to the 

commander of the command they work for. They 

are chosen from a select pool of experienced Senior Foreign Service officers. 

Since its inception in 1957, the POLAD 

program has played a vital role in setting policy 

related to national security and the political effects 

of military actions on U.S. foreign relations. However, Church said there has been a recent push to 

fill vacant POLAD positions and open up new 

ones, increasing the scope of the program. 

“There were a lot of positions sitting vacant 

in the past,” said Church. “And some commands 

didn’t even have the position to fill.” 

With the important role that SDDC plays in 

DOD operations around the world, and the increasing importance of civilian and military cooperation, it was recognized by SDDC’s leadership 

that having a POLAD would be of great benefit to 

the command. 

“The work here is the most interesting, so we 

had a couple of bidders for the position,” said 

Church.

Diplomacy in distribution

By Erik Johnson

SDDC Command Affairs

Gordon Church is SDDC’s first foreign policy advisor.
16 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Warning Order

January 12 – One of the most devastating natural disasters of our time struck when a 

7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the small impoverished nation of Haiti, killing more than 

200,000 people and leaving the capital city of 

the small nation in ruin. The earthquake left 

the Port of Port-au-Prince incapable of receiving critical humanitarian aid and disaster relief, 

or supporting the nation’s frail backbone of 

trade and commerce. 

Soon after hearing of the disaster, the “Gators” of the 832nd Transportation Battalion, 

Joint Task Force – Port Opening Seaport Operations in Haiti

By Lt. Col. Ralph J. Riddle

Commander, 832nd Transportation Battalion

First Person: 

Reopening

Port-au-Prince

Editor’s Note: In the immediate wake of Haiti’s devastating earthquake in January, U.S. 

Transportation Command’s recently-established Joint Task Force – Port Opening was 

called upon for its intended mission: opening ports and providing logistics support on 

short notice. In the first contingency response mission for the JTF-PO Sea Port of Debarkation team, the JTF-PO proved its mettle, opening the port at Port-au-Prince, managing 

operations above and beyond their mission requirements, and gaining crucial experiences 

to apply to their next challenge. What follows is a first-hand account from the JTF-PO 

(SPOD) commander, originally drafted to Gen. Duncan McNabb, USTRANSCOM commander, and his staff. Lt. Col. Riddle has since retired from active duty.

The container crane in Port-au-Prince sits in the water after the 

collapse of infrastructure caused by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Joint Task Force-Port Opening (SPOD) leaders 

come ashore at Port-au-Prince.
17 translog Spring/Summer 2010

headquartered at the Port of Jacksonville, Fla., watched the developments on the news. Knowing 

that the 832nd is one of two 

battalions in SDDC certified for 

Joint Task Force – Port Opening 

(JTF-PO) Seaport of Debarkation 

(SPOD) operations, and that Haiti 

is in our area of responsibility, we 

immediately realized, “there is no 

way we are not going to deploy to 

open a port in Haiti.” We immediately focused on the inevitable 

task at hand.

Prior to receiving a formal 

Warning Order, the 832nd initiated an internal Warning Order 

to configure the deployable team 

including the SPOD joint assessment team (JAT) and the main body, comprised 

of Department of the Army civilians, military, 

and commercial stevedore contractors from our 

Port in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Within 48 hours of 

the earthquake, we received 

our formal Warning Order 

and JAT Execution Order, 

and put all the wheels in 

motion to assure a timely 

departure in accordance 

with the USTRANSCOM 

Commander’s vision for 

JTF-PO operations. 

Early intelligence of the 

situation allowed SDDC, 

the 597th Transportation 

Group, and the 832nd to quickly build a welltailored package specifically designed to meet 

the challenges of opening the largely destroyed 

Port of Port-au-Prince to military and commercial traffic. The near-term focus was to allow 

for throughput of military, U.S. government and 

international material to enable the humanitarian aid and disaster relief effort to help stabilize 

the people and government of Haiti. The environment on the ground and destruction of port 

infrastructure posed many challenges to the JTFPO SPOD mission. It was decided to organize, 

prepare and send the following package to do the 

job:

- 15 832nd Transportation Battalion personnel, including myself, the battalion operations 

officer and emergency essential Soldiers and 

DA civilians seasoned in operating throughout 

the U.S. Southern Command AOR. Equipment 

included light vehicles and all 

life support requirements with 

14 days of self-sustaining 

supplies.

- 10 commercial stevedores from Ambassador 

Services, Cape Canaveral, 

Fla., with container handlers, 

heavy forklifts, trucks, trailers, generators, mechanical 

and electrical repair capability, light sets, and various 

supporting materiel and equipment to allow immediate cargo transfer operations.

- One contracting officer from SDDC headquarters to initiate expeditionary contracting 

once on site. 

THE DEPLOYMENT

January 15 – All deploying personnel were 

completing their personal and medical preparations, to include receiving the dreaded yellow 

fever vaccination from a needle the size of a Big 

Gulp drinking straw, which the Jacksonville 

Naval Air Station nurse insisted on giving in our 

skinny arms rather than our meaty backsides. For 

JTF-PO (SPOD) Soldiers 

prepare to offload at 

the ruined port in Haiti.

Within 48 hours of 

the earthquake, we 

received our formal 

Warning Order and JAT 

Execution Order, and 

put all the wheels in 

motion to assure a 

timely departure...
18 translog Spring/Summer 2010

the most part, we all completed our deployment 

preparations with one arm each – a feat that will 

surely never be truly appreciated. 

We also staged all of the Ambassador Services’ heavy equipment and material in the Port 

of Cape Canaveral 

at our Army wharf 

– ready for immediate vessel loading. 

All deploying 832nd 

personnel and 

equipment moved 

to Cape Canaveral to complete the staging of the 

complete JTF-PO SPOD package for immediate 

loading.

January 16 – We were unsure whether or 

not we had stolen USSOUTHCOM’s two 

landing crafts utility 

(LCU) berthed in Cape 

Canaveral. Nevertheless, we packed the 7th 

Sustainment Brigade’s 

LCU 2023 and LCU 

2011 with the entire 

port opening package 

to include all of the 

832nd and Ambassador 

Services personnel. The 

LCU 2023 carried the 

Port Leadership team 

and much of the container handling equipment. 

Many were wishing us calm seas and following 

winds as we boarded the vessels. The high sea 

state off the coast of Florida subsided by evening, 

and the LCUs departed heavy. Upon entering the 

open ocean, the “little” 

4-7 foot swells had all 

members of the JTFPO SPOD scurrying 

for their Dramamine 

and undergoing a crash 

course on how to walk 

on a flat bottom Army boat in 4-7 foot swells. 

After a couple hours in the “calm seas,” some of 

the cargo began to shift and became unstable as 

the sea poured over the bow and washed across 

Containers tumble into the water as the main pier at 

the seaport of Port-au-Prince collapses. 

We were unsure whether or not 

we had stolen USSOUTHCOM’s 

two LCUs berthed in 

Cape Canaveral. 

Damage from the earthquake 

rendered most of the port’s 

infrastructure unusable.
19 translog Spring/Summer 2010

the decks. Unfortunately, my vehicle sat at the 

point of the Atlantic’s onslaught, bringing great 

pleasure and comic relief to the enlisted members 

and civilians on 

board. 

Following a 

truly heroic effort 

on the part of the 

LCU’s crew to resecure and reinforce cargo on the 

cargo deck of the 

LCU2023 while 

underway, the lead vessel was able to overcome 

the initial day of swells and continue on schedule. 

Due to the rough seas, the LCU 2011 was forced 

to turn around and remove a dangerous instability 

situation involving a commercial flat bed trailer 

and a ton equivalent unit (TEU) fuel pod loaded 

with diesel fuel. The LCU 2011 quickly made 

cargo stow adjustments in Cape Canaveral and 

again was underway – this time breaking through 

the high seas and holding its course towards Haiti 

at about 10- 11 knots. 

Despite the fact 

that the LCUs have a 

supercargo capacity of 

about zero, the LCU 

masters and crews 

went above and beyond to accommodate 

the JTF-PO SPOD 

team. Other than a 

near mutiny when we 

drank the LCU 2023 boat out of coffee, the sea 

journey was uneventful. Approaching the coast 

of Haiti, the LCU 2011 was following the lead 

vessel by less than a day. Armed with the most 

current port survey information from the JAT on 

the ground, the JTF-PO SPOD team prepared to 

“go to ground” and begin receiving and staging 

cargo as soon as possible. 

Containers of relief supplies are 

offloaded from an Army LCU in 

Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Within several hours after 

landing, failing to locate a 

nearby Hilton or even a Holiday 

Inn, JTF-PO SPOD established 

satellite communications and 

initiated daily reports to SDDC 

and USTRANSCOM.
20 translog Spring/Summer 2010

FIRST DAYS 

January 20 – The LCU 2023 arrived in 

Port-au-Prince harbor, and after several attempts 

located a shore landing site, which was later 

developed into the heavily-used Red Beach 2 

lighterage landing point. My vehicle started on 

first attempt, and was first off the LCU – bringing me great joy as disappointed Soldiers and 

DA civilians watched intently. Within several 

hours after landing, failing to locate a nearby 

Hilton or even a Holiday Inn, JTF-PO SPOD established satellite communications using BGAN 

systems and initiated 

daily reports to SDDC 

and USTRANSCOM. 

The team also set up 

the Joint Operations 

Center in a 40-foot office trailer, established 

basic life support 

systems in our other trailers, and began critical 

coordination with our sister service elements on 

the ground. The team linked up with the USAID 

liaison officer and Haitian commercial and port 

authority partners. We immediately initiated 

round-the-clock shifts and assumed the port 

management leadership role. The establishment 

of twice-daily port coordination meetings effectively facilitated coordination and communications between the joint and Haitian partners, 

allowing the development of a rapid plan and 

partnership for reception, staging and distribution of cargo. 

Our service partners on ground at the time 

included U.S. Coast Guard team off the Coast 

Guard Cutter Oak, managing scheduling and 

berthing; elements of the 7th Sustainment Brigade Lighterage Control Center; a company of 

82nd Airborne Soldiers providing port security; 

Naval Divers and various other segmented elements of our services. The Port-au-Prince Port 

Authority Director Jean 

E. Charles and his Security, Engineering and 

Customs offices were 

very supportive and 

cooperative – a posture 

retained throughout. 

January 21 – The 

LCU 2011 discharged in Port-au-Prince and 

completed the 100 percent arrival of the JTF-PO 

SPOD. With full capability on ground and initial 

cooperation and partnerships in place, the JTFPO was immediately ready to begin receiving 

and distributing approximately 100 TEUs daily. 

On the first day of operations we pushed out the 

first 20 Food for Peace (USAID) containers to 

a warehouse for distribution. We also used our 

A commercial floating 

pier substitutes for piers 

detroyed by the quake 

at Port-au-Prince. 

We immediately initiated 

round-the-clock shifts and 

assumed the port management 

leadership role. 
21 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Haitian Port Authority contacts to provide public 

works construction equipment (excavator, bucket 

loader, and compactor) and gravel fill dirt to 

complete the Red 2 landing ramp and to construct the Red 3 landing ramp. 

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

January 22 – Other than the usable segment 

of the broken South Pier, Red Beach landing 

ramps 1, 2 and 3 were fully open for business. 

Red 3 was capable of receiving Logistics Support Vesselclass vessels or 

smaller, Red 2 

could receive 

LCU-class vessels or smaller, 

and Red 1 was 

capable of receiving Improved 

Navy Lighterage System and Landing Craft 

Mechanized class vessels. By this day we had 

also been given access to our three major staging areas: South Yard, North Yard, and the Break 

Bulk Yard, nearly 20 acres total. We were now 

capable of receiving 150 TEUs daily and staging 

approximately 1,000 containers.

JTF-PO SPOD established itself as the port 

operating hub for Port-au-Prince. It was obvious that the nature of the JTF-PO SPOD established the organization as the natural fusion 

center for port operations. In the early days of 

the operation, all parties solicited the JTF-PO 

SPOD for information, communication support, 

prioritization decisions, stevedoring and related 

terminal services (S&RTS) capability, land, and 

life support assistance. Our policy was to assist 

all partners in any manner possible. Thus, we 

negotiated port real estate for Army and Navy 

elements, provided latrines, bulk water, drinking 

water (to an extent), contracted 

S&RTS support, 

resolved differences between 

partners and gave 

all key partners a 

seat in our JOC 

and access to 

satellite communication to facilitate efficiency. 

The 832nd designed and controlled the cargo 

flow and staging plans. Our capability was now 

approximately 200 TEUs daily and the first commercial vessel, Crowley America, arrived for 

discharge. Initial contract negotiations were underway with the several private terminal operators in Port-au-Prince and we were beginning to 

use their labor, space, services and equipment. 

Haitians offload humanitarian disaster relief supplies from an Army LCU 

at the seaport of Port-au-Prince.

It was obvious that the nature of 

the JTF-PO SPOD established the 

organization as the natural fusion 

center for port operations... Our 

policy was to assist all partners 

in any manner possible. 
22 translog Spring/Summer 2010

January 24 – Our contracting officer arrived and joined the team. After initial relentless 

harassment for arriving several days late, Larry 

Cooper proved to be an invaluable asset that no 

future JTF-PO SPOD should be without on day 

one. Cooper set up and finalized the JTF-PO 

SPOD S&RTS contracts in Port-au-Prince and 

Varreux, as well as general service contracts. His 

tenacious negotiations with the private terminal operators ensured all of the JTF-PO SPOD 

commander’s S&RTS requirements were met 

– allowing us to fully leverage the commercial 

terminals to 

provide labor, 

equipment and 

materials. All 

contracts were 

negotiated and in 

place by January 27 – we were 

fully in business. 

 

GROWING BUSINESS

Despite an engineering shutdown of the 

South Pier January 26-28 due to structural damage identified by divers, the heavy use of the Red 

Beaches and alternate ports like Varreux and Laffiteux allowed Port-au-Prince to maintain TEU 

reception rates of more than 250 TEUs daily. By 

the last days of January, Gold Beach was opened 

up by the U.S. Navy Seabees for extensive use 

by their INLS systems. 

January 29 – The South Pier was again 

opened for limited discharge (30-ton maximum 

on deck in limited areas and vessel length not to 

exceed 100 meters). This allowed an increased 

TEU reception of more than 300 TEUs daily by 

February. 

Once cleared of old containers and dograts (rats the size of dogs), in early February 

the JTF-PO SPOD staging areas held a steady 

capability of 2,000 TEUs – the highest staging 

count was registered on February 4, with over 

1,000 TEUs on-ground in the port. Although port 

TEU clearance remained at 150 – 200 maximum 

TEUs daily due 

to road congestion and a limited 

commercial chassis 

pool, it remained 

more than sufficient to support 

the distribution 

requirements.

Through late January and February, a myriad 

of vessels were calling on Port-au-Prince, including French and Dutch military vessels, non-government organization vessels with humanitarian 

assistance, USAID vessels, U.S. military vessels 

and a host of commercial carriers competing 

for Port-au-Prince access. The Coast Guard and 

Navy Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) group continued to do a superb 

job supporting the Haitian Port Authority in 

ensuring the prioritization and scheduling of incoming vessels was fair and as timely as possible. 

Army LCU-2004 Aldie brings containers of relief supplies to the ruined seaport of Port-au-Prince. 

Once cleared of old containers and dog-rats (rats the size 

of dogs), in early February the 

JTF-PO SPOD staging areas held 

a steady capability of 2,000 Ton 

Equivalent Units...
23 translog Spring/Summer 2010

The NCAGS team is indispensable in such operations and should be included in all JTF-PO SPOD 

certification training.

The 689th Rapid Port Opening Element, led 

by Maj. William Costice and 1st Sgt. Pollard, 

joined the 832nd Deployment and Distribution 

Support Team on January 29. The RPOE was immediately assigned management of staging areas, 

cargo transfer, and port clearance – a task they 

quickly mastered. With the RPOE quickly established and on-ground, the 832nd DDST began to 

scale down its capability by first redeploying the 

ten commercial contractors and their equipment. 

One of the contractors found himself inspired to 

enlist once home. 

832nd civilians and soldiers soon followed, 

as they were much needed at their homeport in 

Jacksonville, Fla., to support the humanitarian 

assistance and disaster relief loadout. 

February 7 – The battalion DDST was 

reduced to myself, 

Chris Goss, transportation management 

division chief, and 

Staff Sgt. Jose Alvarenga, marine cargo 

specialist. This is 

the SDDC battalion 

team which remained 

in place until March 

1, when the 833rd 

Transportation Battalion took over.

With more than a thousand containers distributed and pending USSOUTHCOM container 

management guidelines, on February 3 we held 

the first of our JTF-Unified Response container 

management meetings. This first forum allowed 

all key container distribution players, including 

commercial terminals, USAID, and 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command (ESC), to establish a container tracking system in theater. The 

USSOUTHCOM container manager was incorporated into the plan and provided feedback and 

guidance. A workable solution was embraced by 

all and initiated.

WAY AHEAD

By the second week of February we found 

the Port of Port-au-Prince extremely busy and 

capable. The Navy and 3rd ESC, with 7th Sustainment Brigade, took over many of the tasks 

which were initially spearheaded by the JTF-PO 

SPOD element. We are now seeing the Haitian 

Port Authority taking back much authority for 

port operations and vessel scheduling. 7th Sustainment Brigade has established a port mayor 

who will eventually become the full port sustainment provider. 

The pressure by private terminal operators to 

prioritize commercial trade vessels is increasing. 

The humanitarian assistance flow is high and 

stabilized at an average of approximately 100 

containers out of the port daily – a manageable 

flow, with still more than 700 containers in our 

staging areas on the ground as of February 7. 

The USTRANSCOM solution for bringing 

long-term throughput back to Port-au-Prince 

without reliance on logistics over-the-shore 

(LOTS) is to establish floating barge pier platforms for Lift-On/

Lift-Off and Roll-On/

Roll-Off cargo transfer 

to ships. This project 

is underway and by the 

end of February the 

platforms should be in 

place and in full use.

Given that the preearthquake vessel traffic 

into Port-au-Prince 

was approximately seven vessels per month, 

the proposed barge pier platforms will exceed 

the required capability to sustain Port-au-Prince 

commerce and facilitate the redeployment of 

forces and the residual humanitarian assistance 

flow. The completion of the barge pier system 

will likely end the necessity for LOTS capability 

and allow Port-au-Prince to resume its normal 

flow of commerce. At this time, the RPOE will 

likely no longer be necessary and SDDC can 

consider maintaining a small DDST in place to 

manage the contracts and oversee documentation 

until JTF-Unified Response is over.

The Haitian Port Authority is in negotiation 

with the World Bank for long-term port infrastructure repairs. Hopefully, the result will be a 

hardened and rebuilt port that improves the prospects for free trade and commerce in Haiti.

With the RPOE established, 

the 832nd DDST began to 

scale down its capability by 

first redeploying the ten 

commercial contractors and 

their equipment. One of the 

contractors found himself 

inspired to enlist...
24 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Students at a rural Illinois grade school had 

the rare opportunity in May to learn how 

math and science education affects the 

global deployability of the Department of Defense. 

What the students may not have realized was 

the education the visit was giving to the engineers.

Three engineers and two interns from the 

Military Surface Deployment and Distribution 

Command’s Transportation Engineering Agency 

visited Albers Elementary School in Albers, Ill., 

to give the fifth and sixth grade students a firsthand look at how math and science skills are used 

to ensure equipment moves quickly and safely 

worldwide for the Department of Defense. 

Those skills, the building blocks of which 

hung on the walls of Penny Angeli’s classroom 

where the visit took place, are areas in which 

U.S. students are lagging. A 2009 analysis by the 

U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics found that U.S. high 

school students placed below average in math 

and science. In math, U.S. students were in the 

bottom 25 percent of the countries that participated. 

Though little-known outside the walls of 

SDDC, TEA has an impact on what, how and 

where the military can move, including the development of future equipment and transportation 

infrastructure. The agency serves all of DOD, 

providing transportation engineering, policy 

guidance, research and analytical expertise to 

support the National Military Strategy.

“We have one of those jobs where, if you do 

it right, nobody knows you’re doing it,” said John 

Humvees, marshmallows and the future of 

defense transportation engineering

Transportation Engineering Agency interns Jonathan Albers and Nathan Fuhller help Albers Elementary School students conduct an experiment demonstrating throughput, the volume and speed at which 

cargo can be moved through a port, using a giant test tube, a funnel and marshmallows.

Story and photos by Mike W. Petersen, Editor
25 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Newman, chief of TEA’s 

Deployability Engineering 

Branch. 

Newman’s team also 

included Andrea Green-Orr, 

a Defense Access Roads 

program engineer, and Dustin 

Biggs, an engineer with the 

Ports for National Defense 

program. Two engineering 

interns from Southern Illinois 

University at Edwardsville, 

Nathan Fuhller and Jonathan 

Albers, accompanied them.

“The interns were there 

to see how to execute something like that so they’ll be 

able to do the same in the 

future, as well as to give 

the students someone closer 

in age they can relate to,” 

Green-Orr said.

The students were presented a challenge before the 

visit. Using a fictional scenario that required the emergency 

shipment of 500 humvees from multiple stateside installations to Hawaii, the students had to use their math and 

science skills to provide the best way to deliver the trucks. 

The students looked at different sources for equipment, 

routes and modes of transportation, and how each decision 

impacts delivery.

Various aspects of military transportation and engineering were included in the scenario. Some of the finer points 

required a hands-on approach, with actual rigging used to 

secure loads. Airmen from 375th Security Forces at Scott 

Air Force Base also brought a humvee for the students to 

see up-close.

“The Security Forces’ participation was a big help, because we were able to actually show them, ‘this is how the 

hook fits in the provision,’” Newman said. “And from the 

questions they had and how they looked at the humvee, you 

could see they were thinking through the problems.”

Other concepts were introduced and illustrated in unconventional but entertaining ways: throughput – the speed 

and volume of equipment that can move through a port 

– was demonstrated with an experiment in which students 

had to hypothesize and test the throughput of marshmallows into a giant test tube.

The opportunity for SDDC to reach out to the community around Scott Air Force Base was an education for 

John Newman, Transportability Engineering Branch chief with TEA, demonstrates 

how sling-loading is performed using a 

humvee brought to Albers Elementary 

School by 375th Security Forces from 

Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

Students from Penny Angeli’s (right) fifth grade class at Albers Elementary School in Albers, Ill., get a first-hand look at a humvee brought to 

their school as part of a visit by members of TEA.
26 translog Spring/Summer 2010

the engineers as well as the students. When TEA 

moved from Newport News, Va., in 2007, only 

17 employees moved with the agency. Within the 

Deployability Branch, Newman was the only employee to move to Scott as part of Base Realignment and Closure 2005. The agency was faced 

with the significant challenge of rebuilding the 

workforce, while continuing to meet critical and 

unique missions for the Army and DOD.

“We lost a lot of experience when we 

moved,” said Robert Korpanty, chief of TEA’s 

Office of the Special Assistant for Transportation 

Engineering. “Since then, we’ve hired a lot of 

talented people and we’re recouping that experience we lost. Something TEA always needs, in 

addition to engineering skills, are writing and 

briefing skills. You can be the greatest engineer 

in the world doing the greatest analysis, but if a 

decision-maker doesn’t understand it, he won’t be 

able to make a decision on it.”

The visit was spearheaded by Green-Orr, who 

came to TEA in 2007 from the U.S. Department 

of Transportation. The idea of the school visit 

was originally introduced by Command Sgt. Maj. 

Tomas R. Hawkins, now senior enlisted advisor 

to U.S. Transportation Command, as a way for 

SDDC to become familiar to the local community. Green-Orr continued the effort after Hawkins’ 

departure from SDDC. For her, the introduction 

to careers in science and math as a young student 

in East St. Louis, Ill., is a legacy that she was 

wants to pass on to the next generation. 

“I was fortunate to grow up in a somewhat 

underprivileged area, where there were a lot of 

programs to spark an interest [in science and 

math] for the kids,” Green-Orr said. “Now as 

a mom, I seek out similar experiences for my 

children, and they’re hard to find. It’s a shame. 

We have to step up, go out and be more involved 

in the community so we can sow and grow those 

seeds within the kids.”

For Korpanty, who was instrumental in making the visit a reality, the students weren’t the 

only ones getting an education.

 “What I saw from Andrea’s proposal was a 

way of having the new folks we’ve hired become 

more familiar with what TEA does,” said Korpanty. “This was an opportunity to develop their 

public speaking skills and put those into application. The best way of learning how to do something is to go ahead and teach it.”

In building the presentation, Green-Orr and 

Newman found themselves reminded of their 

own paths into engineering.

“I learned an incredible amount about what 

TEA does and was even more excited about sharing this with kids, and getting our interns involved,” Green-Orr said. “When you have to tell 

somebody what you know, you learn the subject 

on a whole different level.”

“I know what worked that led me down the 

path to engineering. Plus, both my parents are 

retired schoolteachers, so that fed into it as well. 

When you get out there and connect with the kids 

and show them that science can be fun, there’s 

not just ‘sit here, do your homework and be done 

with it.’ They get to see there’s a destination 

at the end of the road if you look far enough,” 

Newman said. “When we get kids excited about 

science, we’re seeding future employees.”

Andrea Green-Orr, Defense Access 

Road Program engineer, talks with 

students at Albers Elementary School 

in Albers, Ill. Green-Orr coordinated 

the TEA team’s visit after having had 

similar opportunities to see the result of 

an education in math and science as a 

young student in East St. Louis, Ill.
27 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Will White describes plans for the 

camp with Command Sgt. Maj. 

James Riddick during the annual 

Camp Hope Open House.

Personal tragedy has led one Department 

of the Army civilian on a path of healing 

that is changing lives for wounded warriors and garnering national recognition.

William “Mike” White, an Army veteran 

and transportation specialist at Surface Deployment and Distribution Command headquarters, 

has been named AMVETS 2010 Humanitarian 

of the Year by the AMVETS National Ladies 

Auxiliary for his nonprofit work in support of 

wounded servicemembers and veterans.

White is the founder and executive director 

of Camp Hope, in southeastern Missouri. Camp 

Hope’s mission is to provide disabled veterans 

the opportunity to participate in the outdoor 

activities they enjoyed prior to becoming injured 

or disabled.

White’s journey to help others started with 

tragedy. His son, Pfc. Christopher Neal White, a 

Marine assigned to the 1st Marine Expeditionary 

Force, died in Iraq in 2006 when an improvised 

explosive device detonated under his vehicle in 

al-Anbar Province. According to his father, Chris 

was an avid outdoorsman from an early age, 

learning to hunt and fish while growing up in 

Kentucky and Missouri. 

White and his family were determined to find 

a way to keep their son’s memory 

alive. The most logical choice was 

to do something associated with 

the outdoor activities Chris loved.

With this in mind, White 

purchased 180 acres of land – 

known as Chris Neal Farm – 70 

miles south of St. Louis, Mo., to 

provide disabled veterans a handicapped-accessible lodge and land for outdoor 

recreational activities, to include hunting and 

fishing. He named the small farmhouse on the 

property, which serves as the interim lodge, in 

honor of Camp Hope in al-Anbar Province, Iraq. 

A new lodge, currently in the planning stages, 

will become the official Camp Hope facility, with 

outlying handicapped-accessible cabins already 

in construction for visitors.

Since opening in 2007, the camp has garnered attention and support from all over the 

nation. Numerous organizations and individuals 

have lent their time, resources, equipment and 

Army civilian named 

‘Humanitarian of the Year’

Story and photos by Mike W. Petersen, Editor

Will White, Camp Hope founder and SDDC civilian, is presented the 2010 Humanitarian of the 

Year award by AMVETS National Ladies Auxiliary 

President Patty Piening in a ceremony, March 20. 

Photo courtesy of AMVETS. 
28 translog Spring/Summer 2010

energy to build up the camp.

The AMVETS Riders have adopted Camp 

Hope as their first national fundraising program and 

are already well on their way to completely funding 

the construction of a wheelchair-accessible cabin. 

Veterans Airlift Command, a national network of 

volunteer aircraft owners and pilots which provides 

air transportation to wounded warriors, veterans, 

and their families, has also lent its support to Camp 

Hope’s visiting veterans, flying them to and from 

the camp and elsewhere.

But for all the support Camp Hope is getting 

nationwide, the biggest surprise for White has 

been the effect a week at deer camp can have on a 

wounded veteran. 

“My initial thing was to help them learn to 

work with what they had. I had no idea it would 

be a healing process for them,” White said. “Over 

the week, they help each other work through their 

hurdles. They come in one way, and leave another. 

Now they keep in touch when they get home and 

have that added support network.”

“This place is the best medicine,” said Capt. Joe 

Bogart, an Army combat engineer who lost an eye 

to an IED in Iraq in 2006 and was rendered legally 

blind. Bogart, the camp’s first hunter, has become a 

regular visitor and vocal proponent for Camp Hope 

because of his experience.

“When I first came here, I got to know some 

other guys and we started talking about things we 

have dealt with,” Bogart said in an interview at 

Camp Hope during a turkey hunt in 2008. “You 

talk to other people and get to see other perspectives out here. For some people to come out to deer 

camp, it allows scars to heal. Scars on the outside 

heal, but the ones on the inside are the hardest to 

heal.”

Since hunting at Camp Hope, Bogart has served 

a second tour in Iraq, competed in the Army TenMiler, and was present at the AMVETS Silver 

Helmet Awards ceremony March 20. Another early 

Top: Staff Sgt. Bobby Lisek, one of Camp Hope’s 

first hunters, prepares his turkey calls at the camp’s 

temporary lodge. Lisek now serves as a hunting 

guide at the camp.

Left: Kenny Standaert, wounded Navy veteran and 

SDDC crane operator, stands at Camp Hope’s fire 

pit the morning of the Open House April 17.
29 translog Spring/Summer 2010

visitor to Camp Hope, Staff Sgt. Bobby Lisek, 

lost a leg and suffered a brain injury in Iraq. 

Lisek now serves as a hunting guide for other 

visiting veterans.

“The Humanitarian Award is presented to an 

outstanding American who serves our country in 

peace, as in war ... toward lasting prosperity and 

peace for all its inhabitants,” according to Kellie Haggerty of the AMVETS National Ladies’ 

Auxiliary Headquarters.

Nominations are made by local AMVETS 

Ladies Auxiliary Posts throughout the country. 

An annual winner is not always selected from 

the nominations; established in 1952, the award 

has only been presented five times since 2001. 

Prior recipients of this prestigious award include 

Sen. John McCain, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, 

Barbara Bush, Rosalyn Carter, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Zachary and 

Elizabeth M. Fisher (of Fisher House), 

to name a few.

White credits the award and the 

growth of Camp Hope to the support 

of volunteers. For the first two years 

of Camp Hope’s existence, White was 

commuting almost 15 hours to Missouri 

from his home in North Carolina, where 

he worked at SDDC’s Military Ocean Terminal 

Sunny Point. He moved to SDDC headquarters 

at Scott Air Force Base, Ill., in March and looks 

forward to working more often on the camp now 

that he’s a short drive away.

“I’m happy they recognized what we (at 

Camp Hope) do, not just Will White,” White 

said. “I just had an idea, but we’ve had a lot of 

people who made this idea happen. All of these 

folks have day jobs, and are volunteers.”

White envisions Camp Hope growing to the 

point where it requires a full-time staff, and he 

looks forward to the hiring process.

“When it’s time to hire somebody full-time, 

there’s a perfect opportunity to hire a wounded 

vet,” he said.

AMVETS Riders rumble into 

Camp Hope for the dedication 

of two handicapped-accessible 

cabins. The AMVETS Riders 

have adopted Camp Hope as 

their first national fundraising 

effort.

Two handicapped-accessible cabins 

were dedicated during Camp Hope’s 

Open House April 17.
30 translog Spring/Summer 2010

With a member of Congress, senior military leaders and state and local dignitaries present, a major milestone was 

recently met at the port through which nine out of 

every ten rounds of ammunition sent to Iraq and 

Afghanistan are moved.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held May 24 

at Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point (MOTSU) in Southport, N.C., signifying the completion 

of $58 million of construction and modernization 

on the terminal’s center wharf that will improve 

how ammunition reaches deployed troops. In attendance were U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, North 

Carolina 7th District; Maj. Gen James L. Hodge, 

commanding general of Military Surface Deployment an Distribution Command; as well as current 

and former MOTSU leaders and employees.

Operated by SDDC’s 596th Transportation 

Brigade, MOTSU is the nation’s largest ammunition terminal, serving all of the Department of 

Defense. MOTSU ships more than 90 percent of 

ammunition for Operations Enduring Freedom 

and Iraqi Freedom, and is the primary terminal for 

DoD and Foreign Military Sales ammunition shipments around the world.

“When we think about our nation’s servicemen and women and what they are doing to protect the way of life that all of us enjoy, we realize 

the critical part Sunny Point plays in that, so they 

can fulfill the job they’re called upon to do,” McIntyre said. “That starts right here at this military 

ocean terminal.”

Improvements to the 2,000-foot center wharf 

include expanding its width by 20 feet and tearing 

down the high dock on the waterfront side to accommodate two new 80-foot ship-to-shore container cranes that will be installed in 2012. Rails 

for the cranes run the full length of the wharf, 

allowing full use of the wharf’s length for simultaneously loading multiple ships.

“The bottom line is that the use of shipping 

containers has increased the velocity and efficiency of supply chains all around the world,” 

Hodge said. “So, when I say this modern, state-ofthe-art wharf will provide greater efficiency and 

increased throughput, you can understand why.”

The center wharf project, managed by the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers Wilmington District, 

has involved years of collaboration between 

USACE, SDDC, 596th Trans. Bde., the joint-venture contractors Cashman-Republic, Brunswick 

Electric Membership Corporation (BEMC) and 

Story and photos by Mike W. Petersen, Editor

Center Wharf project modernizes critical ammo mission

A U.S. Army train is displayed as part of the MOTSU Center Wharf ribbon-cutting ceremony May 24.
31 translog Spring/Summer 2010

other local, state and federal entities. 

The project reflects USACE’s continuing relationship supporting military 

construction at MOTSU. Wilmington 

District built the original wharfs between 

1953-55 to meet safety requirements 

for shipping and handling munitions 

after World War II. The terminal’s three 

wharfs and deepened channel were 

designed to safely accommodate break 

bulk cargo operations. With the shift 

to containerized shipments, the project 

became necessary to meet the requisite 

daily number of containers for contingency operations.

“It’s not often that a Corps of Engineers district commander gets to be 

on the scene for both the groundbreaking and the dedication of a substantial 

project,” said Col. Jefferson Ryscavage, 

commander of the Corps of Engineers 

Wilmington District. “I’m proud to be 

here today to complete the process we 

began in 2008.”

The result of the improvements to 

center wharf will increase the speed and volume 

of ammunition that can be moved through the 

port, simultaneously reducing the amount of time 

ammunition ships spend berthed at the port. The 

improved throughput will enhance responsiveness 

to the needs of two wars in Southwest Asia, as 

well as reducing risk at the port.

“It’s all about velocity and agility,” said Don 

Parker, deputy commander of 596th Transportation Brigade and MOTSU. “MOTSU will become 

more responsive in getting munitions to the fight, 

while minimizing the time munitions are in transit, 

reducing exposure time of the vessel at berth. It’s a 

huge force protection benefit.”

Ground was broken on center wharf Oct. 2, 

2008, and has stayed on track despite unique challenges, according to Parker.

“Cashman-Republic has done an outstanding 

job keeping the project on or ahead of schedule,” 

Parker said. “BEMC has been another critical 

partner in this project. It took a significant amount 

of coordination between USACE, Cashman-Republic, MOTSU’s Directorate of Public Works and 

SDDC Acquisition to ensure BEMC was able to 

perform the very complex electrical work that was 

paramount to the success of this project.”

The center wharf construction is only one aspect of a greater modernization effort throughout 

the terminal. Other improvements have included 

realignment and refurbishing of the terminal’s rail 

network to accommodate modern, longer flatcars, 

and the expansion of ammo holding pads for the 

safe movement of container handling equipment.

“This project has been a great cooperative 

effort between MOTSU staff and the Corps of 

Engineers’ Wilmington District,” Col. Mark 

Hagan, MOTSU commander said. “It has solidified a superb working relationship across all of 

the many continuing projects for which the Corps 

has oversight at MOTSU. We’ve been in lock-step 

with each other throughout the project.”

SDDC, MOTSU’s higher command, serves 

the Department of Defense by planning, booking, shipping and tracking cargo; conducting port 

operations and managing personal property moves 

for servicemembers, federal employees and their 

families. 

Col. Jefferson Ryscavage, commander, USACE Wilmington District; Rep. Mike McIntyre, N.C. 7th District; Maj. 

Gen. James L. Hodge, commander, SDDC; and Col. Mark 

Hagan, commander, 596th Transportation Bde., cut the ribbon on the operations building at MOTSU’s Center Wharf.
32 translog Spring/Summer 2010

Valerie Van Vleet, 599th Transportation Brigade, explains the Hawkeye satellite transceiver to participants in the Joint Task Force-Port Opening rehearsal of concept drill at Pier 8 in Busan, Korea.

The 599th Transportation Brigade held a 

Joint Task Force-Port Opening rehearsal 

of concept drill at Pier 8 in Busan, Korea, 

in March. 

According to the mission statement, JTF-PO 

provides the capability to rapidly establish and 

initially operate a port of debarkation and conduct cargo handling and movement operations in 

support of contingency operations.

Jim Staege, chief of plans for the 599th 

Trans. Bde., said that while the air aspect of 

JTF-PO had been working for a number of years, 

the 599th had not practiced the seaport concept, 

except for a drill at Fort Dix, N.J., in 2007.

Although Pier 8 is not an ideal location to test 

the concept (all necessary facilities are already in 

place), the timing for the drill was perfect. 

“We did it as a follow-on to the Key Resolve 

exercise, so 80 percent of the people we needed 

for the ROC drill were already there,” Staege 

said. “We just needed to add the DPOC (deployable port operations center), the 597th Trans. 

Bde. and the RPOE (Rapid Port Opening Element).”

The objective of the drill was to test several 

elements of the JTF-PO. 

“We were able to bring together all the 

SDDC elements with the Navy and Military 

Sealift Command, make sure everyone knew 

their roles, set up the DPOC, and establish communications -- even if it was just from the DPOC 

to the Combined Port Operations Center,” Staege 

said. “I wrote the scenario with fictitious ports 

substituting for the real ports in Korea, so the 

drill could have taken place anywhere.” 

Ron Day, deputy operations chief for the 

599th, said the drill gave the group a good idea 

of what different elements bring to the JTF-PO.

“The drill gave the whole audience a better 

understanding of how to use the RPOE in the 

future,” Day said. 

Maj. Armando Kuppinger-Velasquez, commander of the 597th Transportation Brigade’s 

690th RPOE, agreed that the drill was helpful. 

“Everyone there got to learn from what the 

RPOE does, and we got to learn what the 599th 

and its battalions do. We were able to work 

together, find out if there are any gaps in our 

Joint Task Force - Port Opening drill prepares for Pacific contingencies

By Donna Klapakis

Command Affairs Officer

599th Transportation Brigade 
33 translog Spring/Summer 2010

concepts, and then discuss how to fill them,” 

Kuppinger-Velasquez said. 

The only problem in fulfilling the objectives 

of the drill came with communications.

The Hawkeye satellite communications 

transceiver requires prior host nation approval 

for use when in that nation’s territory. Because 

the group had not received approval, they were 

unable to establish secure communications with 

the device. However, Valerie Van Vleet, the 

information management team leader at the drill, 

had also taken a broadband global area network 

satellite transceiver, which does not require host 

nation approval, as backup. So the group was 

able to establish non-secure communications using the BGAN.

“The biggest lesson learned in the ROC drill 

was the amount of prior coordination it takes 

to set up communications,” said Col. 

Courtney Taylor, commander of the 

599th Transportation Brigade. “We’ll 

have to do this again in Korea, and also 

make sure that we have the requirements 

for Japan.

“It’s good that we identified the 

problems now and get on the right azimuth for a real-world contingency,” Taylor said. “One of the many great things 

about the Army is, while we’re not 

perfect, we are a self-correcting organization. We always have lots of rehearsals to work out the bugs, and after action 

reviews to correct mistakes.

“We need to continue to use the 

DPOC in our exercises, because if we 

have to conduct command and control 

platform in an austere environment, we 

have to make sure we know how to use 

it. Our checklist is perishable, and we 

need to keep our skills honed,” Taylor 

said.

To continue perfecting JTF-PO in 

the Pacific, the 599th hopes next to try 

out all elements in an exercise. 

“Our next step is to employ the JTFPO concept with the Marines in a big 

Pacific training exercise to clear cargo 

from the seaport of debarkation,” Taylor 

said. “We’ve exercised the concept, now 

it’s time to see how we do with trucks, 

forklifts, cargo, and cargo handlers.” 

Pedro “Pete” Lujan, 836th Transportation Battalion 

transportation operations specialist, explains a detail of 

movement operations in the Pacific during a Joint Task 

Force-Port Opening rehearsal of concept drill at Pier 8 in 

Busan, Korea.

Staff Sgt. Clifford Kurten, 837th Transportation Battalion; 

Navy Cmdr. Thomas Sutton, SDDC 320; Sgt. Maj. Frank 

Cervantes, 835th Transportation Battalion; and Capt. 

Brian Young, 837th Transportation Battalion prepare to 

execute a scenario during a Joint Task Force-Port Opening 

rehearsal of concept drill.
34 translog Spring/Summer 2010

The TurboCADS 2010 exercise tested the military’s ability to move containerized ammunition 

from theater to theater. The Navy’s Military Sealift 

Command and Sealift Logistics Command Europe 

teamed with SDDC to carry out the exercise. 

U.S. Navy photo.

The Military Sealift Command’s Sealift 

Logistics Europe and SDDC’s 598th Transportation Brigade supported U.S. European Command in execution of the U.S. Transportation 

Command-sponsored exercise TurboCADS 

2010. The exercise included operations in the 

United States, Norway, the United Kingdom, 

The Netherlands and Italy. 

“TurboCADS, where ‘CADS’ stands for 

containerized ammunition distribution system, 

exercises commercial carrier capabilities for 

moving 20-foot containers from theater to theater,” said Matthew Mueller, maritime transportation specialist at SEALOGEUR located in 

Naples, Italy. “We are exercising moving large 

amounts of containers in commercial markets; 

seeing what they have to offer in way of commercial transport and how quickly they can 

accomplish the mission.”

According to Army Capt. Anderson Raub, 

SDDC’s 838th Transportation Battalion current operations officer in charge, there are five 

phases of operation at each port call location. 

MV American Tern plays the primary role in the 

first phase, “receipt/discharge,” responsible for 

providing sealift of the containers to each port. 

“Military Sealift Command’s role is to 

provide sealift for the leased containers,” said 

Mueller, “providing a long-haul vessel (American Tern) and sealift to transfer the containers 

from the ship to the pier, when necessary.” 

The operation began when 575 containers 

were loaded onboard at Military Ocean Terminal 

Sunny Point, N.C., inbound for the four European ports. American Tern arrived at her first stop 

in Hammernesodden, Norway, May 7. 

Upon completion of operations in Norway, 

American Tern sailed to Newport, United Kingdom, where SEALOGEUR contracted two 

coasters to offload 30 containers and onload 101. 

At the next port visit in Eemshaven, The Netherlands, American Tern pulled pierside, where she 

offloaded 287 containers and onloaded 395 for 

return. The last stop was Talamone Bay, Italy, 

for the final offload and onload.

Overall, while American Tern was responsible for the long-haul sealift of the containers, 

SDDC transportation battalions managed overall 

receipt/discharge, in addition to the remaining 

four phases at each port visit: staging, loading/

unloading, onward movement and distribution. 

Each location provided an opportunity to 

exercise different methods of execution. For 

example, in Eemshaven, containers were offloaded, staged briefly on the pier, and immediately 

loaded onto train cars for onward movement and 

distribution to the end customers. 

Constant interaction between American Tern, 

TurboCADS 2010 combines Navy, Army logistics

By Kim E. Dixon, SEALOGEUR Public Affairs
35 translog Spring/Summer 2010

SEALOGEUR and SDDC was vital to ensure safety and 

a successful operation. Exercising that relationship was 

as important as the container distribution itself.

“The relationship with SDDC is thriving now that 

the mission is in full swing,” said Mueller. “Because 

they are not a sea-going organization, they often need to 

have questions answered that are unique in the maritime 

environment.”

The impact of the liaison between SEALOGEUR and 

SDDC is felt at all levels.

“We have a lot of support from SEALOGEUR,” said 

Hans Roggeveen, 838th port operations. “If we have any 

issues, we go directly to them to resolve.”

The captain of American Tern expressed a similar 

sentiment.

“All the people I’ve dealt with have been outstanding,” said civilian mariner Capt. Chris Bartlett. “Whenever I’ve asked for something, I’ve gotten the information right away.”

Exercises such as TurboCADS would be in vain if the 

participants did not use the opportunity to take away lessons learned, so that in educating those that follow, each 

iteration is improved and experience is gained.

“Operationally speaking, one lesson we’ve learned is 

the importance of involving the ship’s captain and chief 

mate in the initial operations meeting we conducted with 

the 838th,” said Mueller. “They were able to put faces to 

names of everyone working on the shore, which has allowed them to be proactive in bringing up issues early.”

Containers are unloaded by crane from 

the MV American Tern. U.S. Navy photo.

MV American Tern at berth 

in Italy. More than 600 

containers were loaded at 

Military Ocean Terminal 

Sunny Point, N.C. for shipment to mulitple ports in 

Europe. U.S. Navy photo.
36 translog Spring/Summer 2010

A two-driver team was carrying a shipment 

of firearms from California to Indiana in June 

when one of the drivers received news of a death 

in the family. Under DOD regulations, any hazardous shipments must be transported by a team 

of two drivers, and the driver was worried that 

he would be unable to get home to be with his 

family.

Thanks to the Defense Transportation Tracking System (DTTS), the team was able to quickly 

inform Surface Deployment and Distribution 

Command and secure a waiver allowing the 

truck to move on with only one driver. The released driver made it home to his family and the 

shipment continued uninterrupted to its destination.

DTTS is DOD’s way of keeping tabs around 

the clock on various types of sensitive and hazardous materials in transit, also providing instant communication to help drivers, emergency 

responders and SDDC deal with unexpected 

situations.

Using satellite communications, DTTS keeps 

track of all Arms, Ammunition and Explosives 

(AA&E) and other sensitive material traveling 

across the United States. Their efforts support 

SDDC’s goal of providing in-transit visibility 

and total asset visibility on AA&E shipments and 

other sensitive or classified cargo.

As part of SDDC’s support of the total force, 

DTTS-approved carriers operate trucks for every 

military service.

Any commercial carrier that wants to carry 

AA&E must prove their dependability to SDDC’s 

Strategic Business Directorate by first carrying 

less dangerous or essential cargo. The carrier 

must then get the proper satellite equipment as 

mandated by DTTS. Every truck transporting 

AA&E or sensitive material has to be in constant 

satellite communication during its trip.

Eye in the sky tracks explosives in transit

By Erik Johnson, SDDC Command Affairs

A screenshot from the Defense Transportation Tracking System shows multiple trucks traveling across 

the continental U.S. The system is the Department of Defense’s way of tracking sensitive and hazardous 

materials in transit. DTTS also provides instant communication to help drivers, emergency responders 

and Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command deal with unexpected situations.
37 translog Spring/Summer 2010

DTTS receives periodic updates from properly equipped trucks in transit around the clock. 

These pings update DTTS on the truck’s position and match the signal with information from 

a DTTS database about the truck’s cargo, origin 

and destination.

“We get these signals from trucks every 15 

minutes all across the country,” said DTTS representative Bill Maham. “Ping the satellite and 

match it to the DOD cargo manifesting systems, 

ping and match.”

If the signal gets interrupted, DTTS personnel get on the phone to find out what’s going on.

In addition to the continuous ping system, all 

vehicles transporting AA&E or sensitive cargo 

are required to install a panic button. Drivers 

have a red button on the dash, and a secondary 

means to immediately inform DTTS and the satellite service provider of an emergency. 

The panic buttons allow carriers to inform 

DTTS within seconds of any emergencies during 

shipment. In practice, Maham said it generally 

takes around 20 or 30 seconds for DTTS to get 

the alert. DTTS operators get a message about a 

potential issue and they go to work. This ability 

to get up-to-the-minute information about any 

incident is central to DTTS’s mission.

In the event of a major emergency, DTTS 

personnel contact the emergency services investigating the incident. They inform police, who in 

turn bring in required EMTs and firefighters to 

the accident. Just as importantly, DTTS must be 

able to tell what type of shipment is on the truck.

“What’s in the truck is important,” said 

DTTS program manager Dan Bradley. “We have 

to be able to tell the emergency workers what’s 

in the back so they know if it’s dangerous.”

AA&E is divided into security risk categories 

depending on how high-risk the cargo is. This 

allows DTTS to prioritize simultaneous emergencies and also allows them to keep emergency 

workers informed on the dangers they may be 

facing.

Earlier this year, SDDC’s Intelligent Road/

Rail Information Server (IRRIS) partnered with 

information technology company GeoDecisions 

to expand DTTS’s capabilities to include trailer 

tracking. This brings heightened security to the 

DTTS operation. 

Trailer Tracking Service (TTS) went live in 

February. In addition to tracking trailers in transit, the system informs DTTS operators when a 

trailer is unhitched from its truck or a trailer door 

is opened. With TTS, DTTS can keep track of a 

shipment even if the trailer and truck separate, 

allowing for even greater in-transit visibility.

In addition to tracking trucks and trailers, 

DTTS has been working on tracking other modes 

of transportation in order to bring in-transit visibility down to fewer systems. In a recent test, 

Maham said that they successfully tracked shipments by truck, rail and sea all the way from a 

factory in Utah to soldiers in Iraq.

“For years this has been the dream at U.S. 

Transportation Command to track cargo from factory to foxhole,” said Maham. “We just did it.”

A truck outfitted with DTTS satellite gear (visible on top of the cab) departs with a sensitive shipment. 
38 translog Spring/Summer 2010

The U.S. Army’s oldest tugboat still in 

service, the Valley Forge (LT-2096), will 

be retired soon at Military Ocean Terminal 

Sunny Point. A new fireboat is currently being 

built to replace her next year.

The Valley Forge was built in July 1954 at 

the Matton Shipyard in Cohoes, N.Y., and commissioned in February 1955. The tug is a dualpurpose tugboat and fireboat at MOTSU. While 

other tugs built in the same period have since 

been retired, scrapped or sold, the Valley Forge 

continues its service as a floating firehouse.

To Al Smith, deckhand and firefighter aboard 

the Valley Forge for 11 years, the boat has been a 

pleasant place to work, and hardly shows her age.

 “She’s holding up pretty good,” Smith said. 

“It’s a pleasure to work on her.”

The Valley Forge took part in fighting a fire 

on the MV Edward A. Carter, Jr., a prepositioning ship berthed at MOTSU’s South Wharf July 

14, 2001. When fire broke out in the engine room 

of the Carter, she was loaded with nearly 

1,300 containers of ammunition. Two 

people were killed in the fire, but a major 

disaster was averted due to the combined 

efforts of multiple fire departments. The 

Valley Forge fought the flames from the 

waterside of the ship.

Fortunately, the boat’s firefighting capabilities are mainly used in events such 

as the dedication of the Center Wharf 

May 24, as well as other local celebrations in which the crew fires red, white 

and blue water from her water cannons. 

“Basically, we’re like a fire station; 

we’re standing by,” Steven Presley, captain of the Valley Forge. “When the ships 

are working, we’re out here and ready. 

Otherwise, we do maintenance on the vessel. The older it gets, of course, the more 

things go wrong. But I hate to see it go.”

Presley will move to the new boat as captain 

when she arrives. Though it will be a singlepurpose fire boat, he looks forward to the new 

experience, but hopes the day-to-day calm of 

working at MOTSU won’t change.

“It’s been uneventful, aside from that one major fire,” said Presley. “And for a fireboat, that’s 

not a bad thing.”

Story and photos 

by Mike W. Petersen, Editor

Joe Beckley, engineer, deckhands John Visnosky 

and Al Smith, and Steven Presley, captain, on 

the Valley Forge, the Army’s oldest tug.

Army’s oldest tug nearing end of service

The Valley Forge fires a salute at the MOTSU Center 

Wharf dedication.
39 translog Spring/Summer 2010

SDDC in pictures

Members of 831st Transportaion Battalion 

offload the first surface shipment of M-ATVs in 

Bahrain March 29. 

Photo by Bala Padmanabhan.

Cannons are fired by Civil 

War reenactors from Battery 

E, 3rd U.S. Light Artillery, and 

the Smithville Guard, a local 

historical society, in honor of 

the Center Wharf dedication 

ceremony at Military Ocean 

Terminal Sunny Point, N.C.

Photo by Mike W. Petersen

Chief Engineer Steve Starr of the 

hospital ship USNS Comfort (center), 

throws out the first pitch at the June 

8 Baltimore Orioles game at Camden Yards. Air Force Gen. Duncan 

McNabb, USTRANSCOM commander, and the USTRANSCOM component commanders including Maj. 

Gen. James L. Hodge, SDDC commanding general (second from right), 

accompanied Starr to the mound 

during the USTRANSCOM Component 

Commanders Conference. 

Cannon salute

How big is that 

bird’s strike zone?

M-ATVs arrive in Southwest Asia

U.S. Navy photo by Adrian Schulte
SDDC

M I L I T A R Y 

S U R F A C E 

D E P L O Y M E N T 

A N D

D I S T R I B U T I O N 

C O M M A N D

Building 1990

709 Ward Drive

Scott Air Force Base, IL 

62225

Committed Dependable Relentless