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David Burge , El Paso Times 12:02 p.m. MT April 6, 2017

About 250 soldiers from the brigades headquarters and the brigades Special Troops Battalion will deploy to Afghanistan in May.(Photo: Courtesy Sgt. 1st Class Shelia Cooper, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade public affairs)

Soldiers with the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade are ready to get after it and are excited about their upcoming mission to Afghanistan.

About 250 soldiers from the brigades headquarters and the brigades Special Troops Battalion will deploy to Afghanistan in May.

There, they will serve as the logistical headquarters for the entire theater of operations and will provide key support for U.S. and coalition troops. The mission will include providing water, food, ammunition, transportation services and maintenance, among other activities.

The team is coming together, said brigade Command Sgt. Maj. Sean Howard, of Colorado Springs, Colo. Everyone is starting to synchronize, and there is definitely some synergy in the air right now. We are ready to get after it. They are motivated to go.

The brigade did a similar mission from May 2015 to February 2016 in Afghanistan, with about the same number of troops.

This deployment is scheduled to last about six months.

Its a similar mission, but it is dynamic, said brigade commander Col. Michael Lalor.

The mission will change, said Lalor, from Goshen, N.Y. Afghanistan changes, and the mission will change.

Members of the Sustainment Brigade will lead a task force of about 2,000 soldiers, civilians and contractors who will provide key support to troops in Afghanistan.

Howard agreed that the mission will evolve.

The 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade has been training for its upcoming deployment since summer.(Photo: Courtesy Sgt. 1st Class Shelia Cooper, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade public affairs)

The big thing is the enemy has a vote, and we are always trying to stay ahead of that as well as focus on our (support) mission, he said.

The Sustainment Brigade has been training for this deployment since July. The Muleskinner Brigade does its sustainment role every day to support the division, but has been focusing its training on being able to provide its own security and practicing its other tactical battlefield skills, Lalor and Howard said.

These are perishable skills, and we always need to practice them, Howard said.

Lt. Col. Robin-Desty Husted, the commander of the Special Troops Battalion, said her battalion is ready to go and play its part, too.

The importance lies in the fact that we will support the daily mission of the forces in Afghanistan and have a direct impact on the success of their mission, said Husted, from San Antonio.

Husted said the Army and the 1st Armored Division have given her battalion all the training and resources it needs to succeed.

As part of the U.S. Army, our mission is to defend the nation as well as assisting in the defense of our allies, Husted said. We are a well-trained and ready force, well capable of providing sustainment operations to units in theater during this deployment.

Command Sgt. Maj. Jason Porras, the Special Troops Battalions senior enlisted leader, said the battalion is absolutely ready for the upcoming deployment.

The 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade's deployment is scheduled to last about six months.(Photo: Courtesy Sgt. 1st Class Shelia Cooper, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade public affairs)

The battalion will continue to train until it leaves, but we are ready, said Porras, from Pelion, S.C.

Lalor, the brigade commander, said that the brigades families serve as the foundation for all the unit does.

It is from that bedrock that all this happens, he said. There are a lot of people who have sacrificed a lot.

Some of the key training the brigade and Special Troops Battalion have gone through includes the Combat Lifesaver Course, which is a weeklong course in basic first-aid skills for out in the field.

David Burge may be reached at 546-6126; dburge@elpasotimes.com; @dburge1962 on Twitter.

Members of the 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade will lead a task force of about 2,000 soldiers, civilians and contractors who will provide key support to troops in Afghanistan.(Photo: Courtesy Sgt. 1st Class Shelia Cooper, 1st Armored Division Sustainment Brigade public affairs)

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Sustainment Brigade ready for Afghanistan mission - El Paso Times