Posted on 09/02/2005 4:59:39 PM PDT by SandRat
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Sept. 2, 2005) -- Gear that is brand new to the Marine Corps and has a high-dollar value first comes to the Initial Issues Provision and is then distributed out to the units who request or need the gear.
“All units use the IIP to obtain gear that is not readily available through the supply system,” said Cpl. Thomas D. McKenzie, IIP operations chief. “From the new brown T-shirts, enhanced [Small-Arms Protective Inserts], brand new up armored humvees and the [Explosive Ordnance Vehicles], we get it if it is brand new. Once we get it, we push it out to the units who need the new gear. Our main job is to support the war fighter.”
The IIP, a small section of the Supply Management Unit of Combat Logistics Regiment 25, 2nd Force Service Support Group (Forward), is made up of mostly reservists from all across the states, but have come together as a unit to accomplish some major feats.
“In the month of July we had 116,000 issues with only seven Marines,” said McKenzie, a Roseville, Calif., native. “According to our numbers, we’re on track to double that this month. They’ve pushed out 3,500 SAPI plates in four days. That’s pretty amazing when you consider they’ve got to count each box and move them by hand. Those boxes weigh 90 pounds.”
In order to get the gear to using units, the Marines must ensure they are able to track the gear they send out. The Marines of the IIP use new Radio Frequency Identification tags to ensure the gear makes it to the war fighter. Not only do they use the RFID tags, but they also write their own tags.
“We’ve got probably the fastest RFID tag writer in the Marine Corps,” said McKenzie. “Generally, it takes 10 minutes to write one tag. Our tag writing noncommissioned officer, Lance Cpl. [Eric] Jacobs can write these tags in about six minutes.”
When the Marines of CLR-25 took over the IIP, their days began at 7:30 a.m. and they worked long hours in the desert heat until 7 p.m., knowing the gear had to get to the Marines who needed it.
“Dealing with the heat has been a big thing for us,” said Lance Cpl. Michael Bonilla, ammunition technician, augmented to CLR-25. “You have to keep going because the gear has to get to the guys on the frontlines who really need it. We receive gear that is essential on for the war on terrorism. We get the gear out to the Marines that could make the difference in the everyday fight.”
According to Bonilla, the Marines of the IIP had to make some cosmetic improvements to their workspace as well as changing the way they handled gear.
“When we first got here they were working out of an iso-container,” said the Salina, Kansas, native. “Somehow between getting out all the gear, we also built a new office for us to work out of. Corporal McKenzie also allowed us to make our jobs easier. He’s pretty organized and that helped us get the gear where it needed to go.”
As the Marines of the IIP get ready to turn over the workload to their replacements, they are steadily improving the process of receiving and turn-around – getting the gear to units as fast as possible.
“We’re going to be refining the receiving process,” said McKenzie. “It’s just changing little things to make everything smoother and faster.”
During the seven-month deployment, McKenzie said his Marines never let him down and have a lot to be proud of as they finish their time as the driving force behind the Initial Issues Provision.
“My Marines are the hardest working Marines in the Supply Detachment,” said McKenzie. “They know this gear has to get out. The best thing about their job is they can go home everyday knowing they helped somebody on the frontline. If it wasn’t for my Marines here, this gear would not have gone anywhere.”
Marine PING
BTTT!!!!!!!
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