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Logistics officer plays role in drawdown
1st-Brigade---Zerio
Logistics officer Capt. Alexander Zerio, left, talks with an Iraqi contractor about a shipment of supplies. - photo by Photo provided.
Editors note: The following is the first installment in a series profiling the men and women of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, now deployed to Iraq.

“Logistics just sort of happened,” Capt. Alexander Zerio said in a phone interview June 9. “I didn’t know what I was getting into.”
The logistics officer with the 2-7 Infantry, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, deployed in December to an area south of Baghdad, Iraq. This is his second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Zerio said he is proud of the role he plays in one of the largest retrogrades in Army history.
Zerio deals with the movement of equipment, “getting it out of Iraq or getting it to other places as needed,” according to 2-7 Infantry, 1st Brigade public affairs representative Capt. Curt Schulteis. 
“The unit is spread across four different locations,” Schulteis said.
U.S. troops are under presidential orders to be out of Iraq by Sept. 1, 2011. After seven years of war, there are literally tens of thousands of “vehicles and containers” and millions of smaller supplies that must be inventoried for repair or refit before being removed from Iraq, according to the Army News Service.
Zerio is just one of many logistics personnel involved in the Army’s immense retrograde.
“Before I got into logistics I just knew we got fuel, got food … and you complained when it didn’t show up,” he said.
Now that he understands the complexities of logistics, he considers it to be “an amazing system that supports everybody. It’s pretty impressive.”
The battalion logistics officer was first deployed to Anbar Province, Iraq, in January 2007. He was a platoon leader, then, he said. Last September, Zerio took on the challenges and responsibilities of logistics.
“When we first got into theater, I was kind of bouncing around between agencies,” he admitted.
But, as time went on he figured out how the system operated and began to “make a lot of things happen.”
“When we showed up, we replaced a much larger unit,” Zerio said.
He said he and other logistics personnel had to determine what soldiers would need daily as troops continued to draw down.
Zerio also is involved in the process of returning bases established by U.S. troops to the Iraqi government, he said. Zerio said the Iraqis he has worked with are ready to be self-supporting.
“They’ve taken great strides,” he said. “I think they want … to be protected by their (country’s) soldiers.”
Although he doesn’t speak Arabic fluently, the logistics officer said learning some greetings and pleasantries has helped him form smoother working relationships with Iraqi government-sanctioned contractors and vendors.
Iraqi contractors do generator maintenance and an “array of services,” Zerio said. Iraqi vendors often supply “one-time” goods for daily operations, he added.
“It’s a way to support the Iraqi economy,” Zerio said.
He compares his job as logistics officer to that of a project manager. He said he is responsible for soldiers’ safety and welfare and for using “taxpayers’ dollars” wisely.
The young officer said he has had a significant amount of on-the-job training, and credits his senior NCO, Sgt. 1st Class Maurice Allen, for ensuring he does his job well.
“He is my go-to guy when I have questions,” Zerio said.
Like most deployed soldiers, the captain puts in 16-18-hour work days.
“I’ve been doing it so long its second nature,” he said.
Zerio attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was commissioned in 2006. He lives in Savannah, but claims Meriden, Conn., as home. He arrived at Fort Stewart in January 2007.
When deployed, he works out in the gym or relaxes with a “cigar club” on his down time. When he’s stateside, Zerio said he enjoys golf and boating in his leisure time.

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Exchange Service salutes Vietnam vets with custom truck design
Army and Air Force Exchange Service redesigned logo 2011

To thank Vietnam veterans for their sacrifices, the Army and Air Force Exchange Service is debuting a new truck design, part of the Department of Defense retailer’s efforts alongside the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration to honor veterans during the 50th anniversary of the war.

“The Exchange is privileged to have the opportunity to recognize Vietnam veterans through our fleet,” said Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull, who served in the Army during the Vietnam era. “These trucks will serve as rolling billboards, expressing gratitude for all who served during this era.”

The truck design features the silhouette of a lone service member set against the background of a faded horizon with a call to “thank a Vietnam veteran for service to our nation.” The single military member represents the warfighters who served during this time.

Three trucks in the fleet feature the commemorative design and will deliver merchandise to Exchange stores from the organization’s distribution centers in the continental United States.

The West Coast Distribution Center at Sharpe Army Depot in California; Dan Daniel Distribution Center in Newport News, Va.; and the Waco Distribution Center in Texas will each have a truck in service on their standard delivery routes, serving the whole country.

Air Force veteran Pat Thompson served in Vietnam before coming to the Exchange as a truck driver and mechanic. In his 18 years with the Exchange, he has deployed four times to support the troops. The new design means a lot to him.

“They remember,” said Thompson, who is based at the Exchange’s Waco Distribution Center. “We want to be remembered.”

The trucks also highlight the veteran online shopping benefit, which launched in November. The lifelong online military exchange benefit authorizes all who served honorably to enjoy tax-free shopping and exclusive military pricing at ShopMyExchange.com.

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration is a program administered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The U.S. began commemoration of the Vietnam War’s 50th anniversary in 2012 and will continue through Veterans Day 2025.

The Exchange is a 50th Anniversary Vietnam War Commemorative Partner, planning and conducting events and activities that recognize Vietnam veterans and their families for service, valor and sacrifice in conjunction with the commemoration.

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