SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (USTCNS) --- Shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. Army mobilized Springfield, Ill. native Paul W. Wells in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

An Army Reserve captain, Wells serves in the Army Element of Joint Transportation Reserve Unit at Scott Air Force Base, IL. He will be mobilized for one year as a duty officer with U.S. Transportation Command's Global Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Coordination Center.

JTRU was the first Department of Defense-authorized "joint" reserve unit. It was activated ten years ago to support USTRANSCOM's one-stop global transportation mission in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. JTRU provides U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) with 30%of their watch standing workforce.

A senior financial analyst for Southern Illinois University Medical School in Springfield, Ill., Wells has served in the Army Reserve for more than 15 years. Upon joining the JTRU, Wells found himself among many highly skilled specialists, offering their professional expertise to the military and finding it much appreciated.

Colleagues at SIU are covering his workload since senior financial analysts are hard to replace, especially for a year. Wells said the separation from his family is the hardest thing to deal with.

Still, he is positive about the experience.

"Mobilization is an opportunity to serve my country and contribute to the mission of its armed forces," Wells said. "As a member of a Joint Command, I have a real opportunity to learn more about other branches of the service, especially the Air Force. There is also a big opportunity to learn more about information technology and how USTRANSCOM utilizes it."

U.S. Transportation Command provides air, land, and sea transportation for the Department of Defense, both in time of peace and times of war. It is staffed by Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Department of Defense civilian personnel.