NAVAL STATION GUAM –
The main point of Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services’ two-week Contingency Operations Readiness Exercise on the Pacific Island of Guam is the maintenance and growth of expeditionary civilian and reserve servicemember skills.
Among those skills, proper and safe operation of material handling equipment is a priority for all property disposal sites across the command. Members of the COREX team are receiving good opportunities for refresher training on that equipment in a hot, sticky, and tropical environment.
Property Disposal Specialist Edward Forbes is supporting the exercise as the MHE license-issuing officer on-site in Guam. He assisted the COREX crew with refresher training on some of the equipment included in the prepositioned Expeditionary Site System kit.
Two exercise participants who took the equipment refresher both operate as part of Disposal Support Unit 1 out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington. Both Petty Officer 1st Class Alac Williams and Petty Officer 1st Class Marci Pollard said the extra instruction was worth their time.
“Refresher training is always helpful to maintain the proper knowledge and skill base to be safe out there and not be complacent,” Pollard said.
Williams added, “If I deploy or go to another site, I will have the qualifications to operate the MHEs there,” Williams said.
The training consisted of both classroom and hands-on operations of equipment.
“It’s a great pleasure to work with the sailors out here during this exercise and we are glad to give them support,” Forbes said.