CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — As the weather starts to warm up, the 632nd Maintenance Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), is beginning to cool down. After 10 months of hard work, it’s time to start preparing to head back to Fort Stewart.
There are many things that must be accomplished to facilitate a smooth transition for the replacing unit and to make sure that the company can leave theater. One crucial task is the packing and shipment of equipment and supplies.
“The Army has very specific standards about what we can and cannot ship home and how it must be packed,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Blocker, a senior construction equipment repairer with the 632nd Maintenance Company, and a Gleason, Wis., native.
Blocker, a qualified container inspector, makes sure the unit’s containers are ready to be shipped. He is responsible for inspecting several units’ containers before they leave Iraq to ensure their safety and reliability.
Though Blocker cannot be the official inspector for his own company’s containers, he can oversee the process of loading them and identify faults in order to ensure the official inspections go smoothly.
“It’s not particularly complicated, but it is very important to identify any faults and correct them before the containers are shipped,” he said.
The company has more than 20 containers to ship back to the United States. Every container has to have a specific load plan, and the equipment inside must be properly secured.
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