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Camp Bucca MCT receives, inspects, moves bar higher

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Andria J. Allmond
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Public Affairs
CAMP BUCCA, Iraq --  When the Airmen of the 732nd Movement Control Team arrived at Camp Bucca, they didn't just want to do their job.

They wanted to do it better.

The 732nd MCT controls the ground movement of cargo to and from Camp Bucca -- supplying the fuel, food, medicine and mail necessary to sustain the roughly 5,000-person forward operating base.

"Since day one, the 732nd MCT steadily improved work-center operations and customer service," said Staff Sgt. Olga Polina, NCO in charge of day-shift operations.

The 732nd doesn't just support those at Camp Bucca -- they also play a large role in aiding the transition of authority back to the Iraqi people. The team transports goods out of the encampment, located near the Iraq border of Kuwait, to 15 other locations in the Multi-National Division-South battlespace in Iraq.

"We moved over 300 truckloads, totaling 6,400 tons, in the last 30 days alone, in support of the closure of the Theater Internment Facility, which was formerly the largest detainee facility in Iraq," said Senior Master Sgt. Jeffery Criger, 732nd MCT commander and detachment sergeant. "This is pivotal in supporting efforts to conduct a responsible drawdown and transition control for authority of detainees to the government of Iraq."

The majority of the team works in three sections: operations, staging and the joint distribution center. All three combine to embody a lifeline to the camp.

"Our operations cell is the heart of our MCT," said Sergeant Criger. "It's where customers submit transportation movement requests. The operations cell validates movement requirements and provides radio frequency identifications data tags. Affixed to cargo, the tags guarantee its in-transit visibility as it moves throughout Iraq and Kuwait."

He said the staging personnel are the eyes and ears of the MCT.

"They receive, inspect, marshal and sequence the daily sustainment missions by verifying driver details, scheduled assets and cargo loads upon arrival and prior to departure from our FOB," said Sergeant Criger.

He sees the JDC as the muscle of the team, since they load and unload all convoys and control all intermodal containers entering or exiting the FOB. The cargo pushers also flexed their fiscal muscles while packing and loading combat sustainment goods.

"Our joint distribution center identified and restored $38,000 worth of excess aircraft pallets back into the Air Mobility Command system," said Staff Sgt. Will Engle, JDC NCOIC, deployed here from Dover Air Force Base, Del. "They also returned 40 leased containers back to commercial vendors. This action saves us from paying $14,000 in daily detention fees."

Deployed from Ramstein AB, Germany, Sergeant Criger said his 16-member team's hard-charging attitude and esprit de corps plays a huge role in exceeding standards.

"Two of our team members, Senior Airman James Kliewer and Airman 1st Class Natasha Cocchiarella, went beyond the scope of their normal Air Force transportation (duties) by completing the 40-hour U.S. Army information assurance security officer training course," said Sergeant Criger. "This gave our team expertise in Ethernet installation and enhanced our MCT operations cell by networking four SIPR computers together."

The team also increased their access to critical information and transportation movement requests by 75 percent through the installation of new secure and nonsecure internet protocol router lines, and by creating a new SIPR network shared drive.

Meanwhile, the team even made things a little prettier for the next crew of transporters.

"We renovated our work (containerized housing unit) by installing new floor tiles and new lighting," said Senior Airman Angie Laski, deployed from McGuire AFB, N.J., who is filing the safety NCO position for the 732nd MCT.

The team has had its share of struggles since their July arrival, but they've managed to overcome them all - and excel.

"The Air Force should be proud of every team member here in Camp Bucca MCT because they are all awesome professionals who overcame each adversity, and there were many that were thrown their way," said Sergeant Criger. "I count myself fortunate every day to be their commander, as they are the best team I have ever been deployed with during my 27 years of service to our great nation."