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CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — The 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Human Resource Sustainment Center, Europe oversaw the transition from an Air Force to an Army postal platoon in Kosovo recently. During the rotation, the Army’s 40th Infantry Division postal platoon assumed control of the Kosovo Force 11 postal operation from the KFOR 10 Air Force postal platoon.
The 40th ID, also known as the “Sunburst” Division, is comprised of California Army National Guard Soldiers who were mobilized in September. The 40th ID formed a deployable postal platoon to assume postal operations for KFOR 11. The Soldiers received postal training at the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute at Fort Jackson, S.C., and attended the Army Postal School’s five-week course to receive a general overview of postal finance and operations.
Additionally, 1st Lt. Kristopher Speegle, the platoon leader, and Staff Sgt. Adelina Moran, the unit platoon sergeant, completed the course work for postal supervisors.
Then HRSC-E stepped in to provide contingency postal operations training at Grafenwöhr, Germany. They provided a mobile postal team to train and certify the Soldiers for the rotation duty. The training consisted of one week of classroom training, which concentrated on the Soldiers’ operational skills and knowledge needed to effectively manage and control contingency postal operations. Furthermore, the Soldiers received two weeks of hands-on training in the Grafenwöhr Army Post Office.
“The training we received in Germany provided by HRSC-E helped build my Soldiers into great postal clerks and managers,” First Lieutenant Speegle said. “Specifically, the hands-on training we received from HRSC-E and the Installation Management Command post office in Grafenwöhr allowed my Soldiers to incorporate everything they were taught in a real-life postal setting.”
The certification by the HRSC-E postal team in Germany helped the KFOR 11 postal platoon finalize preparations for the move to Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo.
After months of preparation and weeks of training, the Soldiers were ready to conduct the postal operations at the Camp Bondsteel postal operations center.
However, in order to maintain their tactical skills and situational response skills, they rehearsed contingency drills to ensure they were also prepared for and potential threat situations. For instance, the HRSC-E postal team directed First Lieutenant Speegle to plan a suspicious package training scenario involving Kosovo Camp leaders and local unit first responders.
“We are very appreciative for the support given by the HRSC-E, the Camp Bondsteel first responders and all the participants throughout the planning and implementation of this training event. We plan to continue these types of simulated events so that we are prepared in the event that we encounter a contaminated or suspicious package,” First Lieutenant Speegle said.
The KFOR 11 rotation postal team is scheduled to serve at Camp Bondsteel until November 2010. The postal Soldiers look forward to their time in Kosovo and in providing first class postal service for the personnel stationed at Camp Bondsteel.
“We look at each piece of mail we deliver as a piece of morale to the hearts and minds of the Soldiers of KFOR 11,” Staff Sergeant Moran said. “By completing our mission each day we help do our part in helping Soldiers get through a long deployment.”
