By Steve Huffman
shuffman@salisburypost.com
Members of the U.S. Army 846th Transportation Co. are faring well in their most recent Middle East deployment.
So says Jennifer Welch, team leader of the 846th’s Family Readiness Group. Welch’s husband, Richard, is a sergeant with the unit, which is based out of Salisbury.
Members of the 846th were deployed to southwest Asia for the second time earlier this year. The unit spent 17 months there in 2003 and 2004 moving equipment and supplies to U.S. troops in Iraq.
Welch said when unit members returned to the Middle East earlier this year, they spent a month shadowing the company they were replacing. During that month, she said, they lived in tents in the desert.
“They got permanent housing on June 23,” Welch said. “They were in tents before that.”
Once they were assigned more permanent housing, Welch said, the mood of unit members improved. She said they were also able to call family members on a more regular basis following their housing move, as well as contact loved ones via computers.
Welch said her husband told her that the 160 members of the 846th are working hard, many working as much as 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Like members of Salisbury’s other unit, the 991st, members of the 846th are involved in transporting anything the military has.
“You name it, they haul it,” Welch said.
She said the Army typically releases little information concerning how long any unit will be deployed. Welch noted only that members of the 846th are involved in a 12-month mission.