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833rd Transportation Battalion assists Cobra Gold in Thailand

FORT EUSTIS, Va. (USTCNS) --- When Maggie Church came to work for the Deployment Support Command's 833rd Transportation Battalion in Seattle, Wash., she had no idea her job would take her halfway around the world--to a place where tourists take rides on elephant's backs and a cool day is 90 degrees.

Nonetheless, Church, a loss and damage claims examiner, and three coworkers were part of a DSC Deployment Support Team providing their expertise in Cobra Gold, a combined military exercise hosted by Thailand earlier this summer.

In April, 1st Lt. Eric Harmon, assistant operations officer, and Staff Sgt. Michael Jenkins, movements specialist, deployed for more than three weeks to the Port of Chuk Samet, Thailand, to receive cargo shipped from Seattle and Anchorage, Alaska, on board the Maersk Constellation.

In May, Church and Jerry Gooch, marine cargo specialist, deployed to that same port for almost four weeks to load that same vessel for its return.

The 833rd's travelers persevered the hot and humid the weather, just as they had been warned.

"When it rained, it was torrential and could flood the area in less than 30 minutes," said Church. "Because of the heat, the air conditioning in the computer room ran nonstop--it stayed hot even when it was raining. When we went inside for lunch, we froze."

After enduring the relentless heat for a couple weeks, the team's energy levels were strained along with their equipment.

"I knew it was going to be hot in Thailand, but I was honestly not prepared for it," Jenkins said. "Coming from Seattle's mild climate, it was a challenge adjusting to the surprisingly high temperatures. I had to keep reminding myself to drink enough water."

Only one person, the DST operations chief, was in charge of all operational activities including traffic management and documentation, according to Harmon.

"It was fascinating to be able to work with someone who possessed such a vast knowledge of both this operation and of Thailand," Harmon said.

"The team was comprised of members from Japan, Korea, Hawaii, and Seattle," said Jenkins. "Despite the fact that most of us had never met, we hit the ground running. I enjoyed the way that we just came in and jumped into the work. There was a camaraderie that quickly arose among the DST."

Church cited Gooch and the one other marine cargo specialist as superstars.

"It was hard to communicate with the Thai longshoremen," Church said. "It became a lesson in worldwide hand signals for all the operations. In order to make the longshoremen understand what was needed, the marine cargo specialists had to show them, with no guarantee they understood."

According to Church, loading the Constellation was particularly challenging.

"Its cargo holds were painted bright white causing the blindingly hot sunlight to reflect off of the walls with even greater heat and magnified intensity," she said.

"Those two guys would come off the ship every evening dripping with sweat and looking like they had just waged a war with dirt and lost. It may not sound like they did anything special, but I saw just how extremely dedicated they were to getting the job done-they worked hard," she said.

"I have never seen a place so tropical," Jenkins said of the surrounding area. "Lush vegetation was everywhere. If space was not being used, nature soon reclaimed it, turning it back into a jungle of tropical plants and trees very quickly."

Speaking for all four transportation professionals, Harmon summed it up, "Despite the many distinct challenges in Thailand, this assignment was definitely worth it."

From the Pacific Northwest's rainy forests to the rainforests of Southeast Asia, the Seattle team once more proved there is no barrier they cannot overcome to ensure deployment success for the warfighters-even when it is half a world away. (FROM MILITARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT COMMAND, DEPLOYMENT SUPPORT COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).

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