143rd ESC meets Sentinel Justice supply mission with vigor, motivation

143rd ESC meets Sentinel Justice supply mission with vigor, motivation

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. – As the largest Army Reserve Training exercise ever conducted, the scope and breadth of Operation Sentinel Justice is immense, with over 12,000 reserve Soldiers on ground engaging in grueling, realistic training.

Keeping those Soldiers supplied with food and water is another monumental undertaking, the non-stop flow of supplies leaving the sweltering warehouse of Motor Pool 8 as fast as they arrive.

The enormity of the task is a challenge currently being met by the 873rd Quartermaster Company, 332nd Transportation Battalion, 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), working 24-hour operations to meet the demands of the exercise.

An essential part of this critical mission is Chief Warrant Officer 2 Alicia Cruz, accountability officer, 332nd TC BN, 641st Regional Support Group, 143rd ESC, who maintains inventory of all the supplies coming in and out of the warehouse.

“This is the biggest mission we’ve ever had; we had a lot of training before arriving here, especially involving Class One and Supply Support Activity,” Cruz said. “We’ve never handled Class One to this depth before, especially with the volume of water needed in these conditions.”

This is easily the largest challenge Cruz has faced in her career, understanding the needs of the Soldiers out in field conditions, often performing in harsh heat.

“We’ve been feeding Soldiers for a week, and we’ll go all the way until the end of the exercise, “Cruz said. “We have two more big pushes for eight separate Light Logistics Clusters where all the field units draw their supplies from.”

Cruz said Soldiers are working up to 16 hours a day but maintaining their motivation and determination to push supplies out.

“This is a 24-hour operation, but everyone’s motivated, they enjoy the opportunity to do their jobs and work equipment they’re trained on,” she said. “This is the hands-on experience they need to be proficient as logistical specialists.”

Working alongside the 873rd QM CO is Sgt. Eduardo Pliego, motor transport operator, 206th Transportation Company, 828th Transportation Battalion, 143rd ESC, who is delivering Class I supplies to units throughout the exercise, also in areas such as Gulfport and Camp Beauregard.

“Our company has been performing convoy’s, picking up supplies here from the 873rd and delivering them to units throughout Sentinel Justice,” Pliego said. “We’ll be leaving here and delivering MRE’s (Meal, Ready to Eat) and cases of waster to Camp Beauregard, which is four hours from here.”

Pliego said the teamwork among the various 143rd ESC units has been positive, with everyone contributing to the mission with enthusiasm, taking every chance to get real-world experience at their jobs.

“A few of us in the company went to Poland in 2024, and we have great teamwork and communication; out here there’s a lot of new faces who’ve never been in an environment like this, and it’s up to us to assist them,” Pliego said. “When it comes to missions like Sentinel Justice it’s preparing Soldiers to deploy. It helped me and my team when we went to Poland.”

For Pliego, it’s now his job to mentor those new to the career field, with Sentinel Justice providing the perfect proving ground to do just that.