835th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion provides security during training exercise

By: Silas Allen
Missouri National Guard Public Affairs
Staff Sgt. Rick Wells and Spc. Ashley Distler check the bags of incoming Soldiers at the 2009 Yama Sakura training exercise at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Staff Sgt. Brandon Klempke checks a Soldier's bag as Staff Sgt. Douglas Sanford checks incoming Soldiers' ID cards at the 2009 Yama Sakura training exercise at Fort Lewis, Wash.
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - Soldiers from the headquarters company of the Missouri National Guard's 835th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion are serving as security force personnel as a part of their annual training during the 2009 Yama Sakura training exercise at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Members of the security force team work to make sure no classified information is compromised during the exercise. Their day-to-day duties include checking ID cards of anyone entering the battle control training center's simulation bay. The team also checks the bags of those entering the simulation bay for items such as laptop computers, cell phones and flash drives.

"Any kind of electronics, really," said Staff Sgt. Rick Wells.

Anyone with a prohibited device can either return it to his or her vehicle or leave it at the guard desk. One Soldier participating in the exercise works for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency in his civilian career, said Staff Sgt. Brandon Klempke. Because of the nature of his job, he can't be away from his cellular phone for long at a time.

"He's been leaving his phone at the desk," Klempke said.

While the guards at the desk check ID cards and bags, two more Soldiers from the unit patrol the halls of the simulation bay. Of the building's three hallways, only two contain classified information. The two Soldiers make sure only authorized personnel are in those two hallways. They also work to make sure the exercise participants dispose of any classified documents properly, and make sure nobody is using any kind of electronic recording devices.

"They're just making spot checks, making sure they don't see anybody on a cell phone or anything like that," Klempke said.

The teams work in 12-hour shifts, with six members on each shift. Most of the work is done from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., when the participants in the exercise are changing shifts, said Spc. Ashley Distler. However, Distler said, there is occasional traffic through the guard checkpoint at other times throughout the day.

"There's some in and out," she said.

All the while, the teams maintain an accurate count of everyone passing through the security checkpoint. The head count is part of the unit's effort to keep a count of how many Soldiers the unit is serving, Wells said. It could potentially be helpful in planning future exercises as well, he said.

The Yama Sakura exercise is a joint, simulation-based operation conducted among members of the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and active army in the United States and Japan, as well as the Japanese army. In addition to providing security, the Jefferson City-based unit is providing a number of support services during the exercise, including transportation and administrative services. The unit will be participating in the exercise until Dec. 15.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.