BATTLE CREEK, Mich. –
The U.S. Army 25th Infantry Division recently completed a two-month property divestiture effort dubbed “Lightning Purge” in close coordination with Defense Logistics Agency personnel in Hawaii.
The equipment disposition project saw nearly 5,000 items inducted to the Army’s
Modernization Displacement and Repair Site at Schofield Barracks and more than 1,500 ultimately turned over to the DLA Disposition Services site at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.
“The ‘Lightning Purge’ operation required a full team effort from the entire sustainment community across the island,” said Walter Kramer, deputy to the commander of Army Field Support Battalion – Hawaii. “We absolutely would not have been able to maintain the necessary velocity for inductions without close partnership with DLA. Space is extremely limited across the island, especially at Schofield and Wheeler [Army Air Field]. DLA opened the gates for us to clear rolling stock from our yard by prioritizing our MDRS turn-ins, clearing real estate for the massive influx of [Rapid Removal of Excess] cargo. This was critical to the success of R2E.”
The Army’s Rapid Removal of Excess, or R2E, began in late 2023 as a concentrated effort to expedite equipment modernization and readiness by allowing soldiers to turn in property “as-is” at one of 14 MDRSs. “Lightning Purge” was the first R2E in the Indo-Pacific region, and like the preceding campaigns, DLA Disposition Services was closely tied into the effort from the beginning.
“I was thoroughly impressed with how seamlessly the team collaborated and how diligently they worked to make sure the Army’s goal was met,” said DLA Disposition Services Pearl Harbor Area Manager Mezekiel Sims. “It was inspiring to witness the team rallying together to efficiently process all incoming property. Every member of the team played a vital role in making R2E a resounding success.”
Property Disposal Specialists Abel Castaneda, Melchor Bontog, and Brett Fabre worked with the MDRS and units to prepare property for turn-in, and John Obuta and Randy Grigsby spearheaded DLA’s material examining and receipt effort. The team took in hundreds of rolling stock items like Light Medium Tactical Vehicles and Humvees, plus mobile command centers, 20- and 40-foot shipping containers, drones, and varied electronics like desktop and laptop computers.
Sims said about 20% of the items turned by the Army were mutilated through a mandatory demilitarization process. More than 100 items originally valued at about $360,000 were requested by qualified reuse customers through DLA Reutilization, Transfer, and Donation. Another roughly 100 line items originally valued at just over $7 million cycled through DLA’s RTD program and go toward commercial sales contracts that put money back into DOD’s coffers to help cover property and hazardous waste disposal costs.
“The Defense Logistics Agency at Pearl Harbor provided incomparable customer service throughout the equipment turn-in process for R2E,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Patricia Washington, the Material Management Officer-In-Charge for the Army’s 25th Division Sustainment Brigade. “The site manager's coordination of crucial site visits was instrumental to our success, and their flexibility in rearranging their schedules to be able to accept our turn-ins for the following week was greatly appreciated. Furthermore, the onsite examiner, Randy Grigsby, demonstrated remarkable proficiency and efficiency in accepting the equipment.”
The 25th ID, nicknamed “Tropic Lightning,” was activated shortly before the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The division focuses heavily on joint operations, jungle warfare training, and maintains light infantry and aviation assets meant for flexible, rapid deployments across the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command region.
Faron Cordrey directs DLA’s reverse logistics efforts in the region. He praised both the Army and DLA’s Pearl Harbor team for their proactive, collaborative, and continuous communication.
“The secret to DLA Disposition Services Pearl Harbor’s success in supporting the R2E program was the consistent hands-on approach by Abe Castaneda and Mel Bontog, which afforded a smooth transfer of property from the units to the site receiving team for precise processing,” Cordrey said. “The efforts of the Pearl Harbor team were key to enhancing the Army’s on-hand equipment readiness while reducing the burden of storage, maintenance, and accountability through divestiture.”