Joint Base Charleston
Patriot Vol. 3, No. 7
Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, February 17, 2012
841st drives the "golden spike"
An aerial view of the new 841st Transportation Battalion rail facility at Joint Base Charleston - Weapons Station. (Inset: Left to right) Lt. Cmdr. Stephen Fichter, Navy Capt. Ralph Ward, Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Leonard, Army Lt. Col. Robert Dawson and Terry Healey cut the ribbon during the 841st Transportation Battalion’s ribbon cutting and golden spike ceremony at Joint Base Charleston - Weapons Station Feb. 13. The golden spike ceremony represents the completion of an eightyear, $9 million project that expanded the rail facility to eight lines. Fichter is the Naval Facilities Engineering Command resident officer in charge of construction, Ward is the JB Charleston deputy commander, Leonard is the Surface Deployment and Distribution Command commanding general, Dawson is the 841st Transportation Battalion commander and Healey is the Queen City Railroad Construction site safety health officer. See more photos on Page 14.
U.S. Army photo / Capt. Josh Turner • (Inset) U.S. Navy photo / Petty Officer 2nd Class Brannon Deugan
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Brannon Deugan Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs The 841st Transportation Battalion held a ribbon-cutting and golden spike ceremony at Joint Base Charleston Weapons Station Feb. 13. The driving of a golden spike is a railroad tradition celebrating the completion of a railroad project. The 841st Transportation Battalion drove their golden spike signifying an end to a railroad construction project costing more than $9 million. "What you see here has taken more than eight years to come together and has required hard work by many," said Army Lt. Col. Robert Dawson, 841st Transportation Battalion
INSIDE 628th LRS
By Senior Airman Anthony Hyatt Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
See page 7
SAVING LIVES Firefighters answer the call See page 10
DITCH THE SPIT See page 12
Recently, a number of taxi companies have been denied access to Joint Base Charleston – Air Base and Weapons Station because of security precautions. According to Robert Trout, 628th Security Forces Squadron plans and programs chief, anyone using a taxi to commute to and from JB Charleston – Air Base or Weapons Station should be aware that only a select number of taxi companies are being allowed to enter the bases. Some companies are prohibited from entering the Air Base and Weapons Station because their drivers don’t have valid Defense Biometrics Identification Cards granting individuals access to the bases.
Friday, February 17 Mostly Cloudy (20% precip)
High 69º Low 47º
Saturday, February 18 Showers (60% precip)
High 65º Low 54º
Sunday, February 19 Thunder Showers (60% precip)
High 61º Low 33º
“These drivers won’t receive DBIDs cards if their packages are disapproved,” said Trout. “We run a criminal background check on each taxi driver that submits a package and many of them are not allowed to enter the base because of in-depth criminal records,” Trout said. Below is a current list of companies approved to enter the Air Base and Weapons Station. The list is subject to change at any time: • Yellow Cab Taxi, 577-6565 • Mt. Pleasant Shuttle, 971-4901 • Battlestar Express, 697-7810 • Yellow Van Taxi, 406-3555 • Footy’s Taxi, 330-7352 • Carolina Cab, 209-7152 • Signature Ride Taxi, 696-1906
• Elite Limo Service, 814-6905 • Lewis & Lewis Taxi, 821-0431 • Coastal Limo & Transportation, 810-0110 • Shuttle Etc., 552-0406 For additional information on JB Charleston’s gate entry process, contact the 628th SFS at 963-3623. (The listing is provided for information only and no federal endorsement of the above mentioned services is intended.)
Base Safety office: Protecting our assets By Staff Sgt. Katie Gieratz Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
Charleston, SC
The expansion added seven lines to the one previous rail line. Four of the lines are dedicated to storage. "This is a terrific expansion ... because it will increase our capabilities and it allows for storage of cargo at the railhead instead of down at the port, giving a smoother operation," said Dawson. "This facility will not sit still long. Within the next week we will begin putting it to good use and start shipping cargo on behalf of our great nation as we perform our mission. "As just one of a handful of strategic seaports in the United States, JB Charleston stands out as one of the best, providing a unique capability to our Army and military to receive and process large cargo rail shipments and to support our nation regardless of when the call may come," concluded Dawson.
When taking a cab, who should you call?
Helps keep C-17s flying
Great American Spitout
commanding officer. "Just over 15 months ago, where you are sitting was covered in trees and heavy brush. Today it's a fine facility." The 841st Transportation Battalion ships military equipment from installations across the United States to troops serving in Southwest Asia and Europe. "This facility is all about strategic velocity," said Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Leonard, Surface Deployment and Distribution Command commanding general. "That is what this is all about and I will submit to you that only in the United States of America can we accomplish something like this. Thousands of vehicles are about to roll through here. The armed forces will be ready for what comes next because of places like this and great cities like Charleston."
There is an office at Joint Base Charleston – Air Base just like many others, whose personnel perform day-to-day functions such as answering phones, responding to e-mails or helping customers. But this office also does a job most people aren’t even aware of on a daily basis; the 628th Air Base Wing safety office helps keep you alive. “The Safety Program is truly a team effort at JB Charleston. The 437th Airlift Wing and 628th Air Base Wing safety offices are co-located in the Wing Headquarters along with their respective chiefs of safety and their corresponding staff members,” said Chris Anderson, 628th ABW ground and weapons safety chief. “The 437th AW leads the flight safety component of the program while the 628th ABW administers the ground and explosive safety elements. “The wings ensure a cross flow of safety information and both teams are committed to promoting the outstanding safety culture present at JB Charleston,” said Anderson. After technical training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, most safety officials have the opportunity to attend advanced training to take
their skills to the next level. “As individuals, we are a jack-of-all-trades,” said Staff Sgt. Meagan Bustillo, 628th ABW Safety office safety technician. “We have to know something about everything. We are responsible for complying with federal standards and Department of Defense standards as well as local laws. On any given day we can be tasked with a variety of jobs which could include confined space training exercises, inspecting child development centers, evaluating the motorcycle safety program or checking offices for power strips plugged into one another (daisy chains). We are everywhere and we have to keep our knowledge as current as possible to effectively do our job." The 628th ABW Safety office is responsible for inspecting more than 1,000 facilities on JB Charleston annually. The inspections ensure all facilities and their operations are functioning in compliance with Air Force and federal standards for electrical, machine guarding, fall protection, training and hazardous material safety just to mention a few. After inspections, each unit is given an overall grade; outstanding, excellent, satisfactory or unsatisfactory. If a unit needs further assistance, the 628th ABW Safety office works closely with
the unit commander to make sure updated procedures are being implemented and standards are being followed. “We ensure safeguards are in place enabling people to go home to their families at the end of each day safely while effectively accomplishing their mission at work,” said Darnell Edmonds, 628th ABW Safety office safety and health official. Besides routine inspections, the 628th ABW Safety office also conducts formal investigations which can occur anytime, day or night, on or off the installation. In 2011, the 628th ABW Safety office personnel conducted more than 35 formal investigations involving service members. If a service member is hurt in a vehicle accident or injured while participating in recreational activities, Safety is called to conduct an investigation. “As an investigator, my conclusions of a mishap cannot be used for disciplinary actions, to include a line of duty determination,” said Edmonds. “My job is to figure out what happened, why it happened and to provide recommendations and measures to prevent it from happening again.” “We are here to help,” said Staff Sgt. Narto Simmons, 628th ABW safety technician. “Our number one goal is prevention.”
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