US NAVAL STATION SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- The pier here is bustling with activity when a ship returns from deployment. Service members and contractors pace up and down the pier as they dodge heavy equipment and vehicles that move supplies from the ship. It’s a race against time to transfer supplies to places that need them.
Marines from 1st Supply Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, assisted in the offload of supplies from the USS Boxer here, Nov. 15. The USS Boxer returned from deployment as part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, and the Landing Form Organic Reserve supplies it was carrying needed to be taken back to Camp Pendleton for future operations.
Landing Form Organic Reserve supplies, or “L-Form” as it’s more commonly known, are supplies reserved in case of emergencies. If a ship is incapable of resupplying at port, the reserves are a last fallback for the service members aboard the ship, but the reserve is only to be used for real-world contingency operations, said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott Allison, combat cargo officer, USS Boxer.
The Marines from 1st Supply Battalion transported the following provisions back to Camp Pendleton: 120 pallets of Meals Ready to Eat; more than 80 barrels of petrol, oil and lubricant; and 84 boxes containing construction and fortification building materials. These are the three major supply classes that are essential to the ship and crew, said Allison.
The Marines transported the pallets using several flat-bed trucks that were loaded by forklift. It was also the job of the Marines to keep record of the supplies they were taking to Camp Pendleton to ensure accountability of all the supplies when they may be needed again.
According to the ship’s official website, the USS Boxer is a Wasp Class Amphibious Assault Ship. It is part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which also includes the amphibious dock landing ship USS Comstock and amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay. The 13th MEU returned home to San Diego in September after a 7-month deployment to the Western Pacific and U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
Performing these tasks often, keeps the Marines’ skills sharp. Their experience speeds up the process so other goals at hand can be accomplished, said Sgt. Larry A. Moore, embark chief, 1st Supply Bn., CLR-1, 1st MLG.
“I’ve been with the battalion for only two years and have already offloaded ships like the USS Boxer over 50 times,” said Moore. “I love my job. I enjoy being able to work with gear and see that it gets where it needs to go.”