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Ammo Point Supports Brigade During Responsible Drawdown
Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Photo by Spc. Rebecca Schwa
Spc. Don Buchanan, of Worden, Ill., Spc. Michael Tessenear, of Tampa, Fla., and Spc. Atorina Webber, of Modesto, Calif., sort through expended ammo, commonly called brass, at the Ammo Transfer Holding Point on Contingency Operating Site Hammer. All three are ammunitions specialists with 210th Brigade Support Battalion.
BAGHDAD – While Soldiers on the ground certainly must deal with the brunt of the fight, it could be argued that they cannot succeed without strong logistical support backing them up.
Soldiers of 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, do just that: they work behind the scenes to ensure every Soldier has ammunition in good working condition, and that damaged ammunition gets disposed of correctly.
Chief Warrant Officer Eric Scott, of Cleveland, N.Y., and the ammunition technician for Company A, 210th, said it all takes place at the Ammo Transfer Holding Point.
The holding point supplies the brigade with ammunition for everything from M4 rifles to M1 Abrams tanks. It also serves as the collection point for any expended or unused ammunition.
Buckets of expended ammunition, often called brass, must be carefully sorted by a team of ammunition specialists to remove any live rounds that might be in the mix. Unused ammo is then evaluated to see if it must be destroyed or if it can be cleaned up and redistributed.
"All the different combat posts and locations that are out there have little collections of ammo that have accumulated throughout the years," Scott said. "Whether it's serviceable or unserviceable determines where it will go."
The holding point is supporting the U.S. military responsible drawdown and eventual departure from Iraq by sending out logistical assistance teams to joint security stations in the brigade's operational environment. While there, they evaluate the many rockets, missiles, hand grenades, and other weapons that have collected over the years, he said.
"Part of the [military] pulling out of Iraq [involves] cleaning up nine years' worth of ammunition," Scott said. "The logistical assistance teams inspect it, recommend storage and transportation back to the ATHP to help bring that stuff to record, and put it back into the system."
Useable ammo will then be sent wherever the Army needs it. Most of it, Scott said, will be shipped to either Kuwait or Afghanistan. Ammo deemed unserviceable will be destroyed – blown up by an explosive ordinance team.
Spc. Mark Campfield, of Philadelphia, an ammunitions specialist also with Company A, said their work might be tedious, but it keeps Soldiers safe on the battlefield.
"If we send out bad [ammo], someone might use it against the enemy, and it [might] not work properly," Campfield said. "We have to pay attention to detail, to every little thing, even if it might not seem that big."
He said the work they do also helps the brigade leaders keep track of all their weapons and ammunition.
"Without us, munitions would be everywhere," Campfield said. "I wouldn't want anything to get in the wrong hands, so it's good that it leaves the surrounding area and comes here.
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