The Gateway

In the spring of 2010, I volunteered to provide systems support for the MC4 hand-held devices as the Military Transition Teams (MiTTs) redeploy to Fort Riley. By eliminating the need for MC4 personnel from Fort Hood, Texas, to support this effort, equipment returns to the shelf faster. Also, Fort Riley saves money from the travel costs. In January, I received the Fort Riley Garrison Employee of the Year Award for my efforts.

I'm part of the sustainment team for all Standard Army Management Information Systems (STAMIS) used at Fort Riley, including MC4 equipment. The MiTTs receive the handhelds before they leave for theater and utilize the equipment to digitally capture patient notes during missions. When the MiTTs rotate back to the states, the handhelds come back to the sustainment team to prep for future missions.

Previously, we stockpiled the MC4 systems until we accumulated approximately 50. Then, we would make arrangements with the MC4 team at Fort Hood to travel to our location to up and reset the equipment so it could be use during future missions. MC4 would make this trip at least quarterly.

During one visit last year, I asked if I could conduct the rest process on my own. They taught me the steps and gave me the software. To date, I've reset approximately 600 devices. Now, the devices come to me to support and they return to the fold much faster.

While it's a tremendous honor to be selected as the Fort Riley Garrison Employee of the Year, I initially suggested taking on the responsibility to reduce the support cycle-time. I never imagined my efforts would lead to such recognition.

Matt Pruitt, Logistics Management Specialist, Fort Riley, Kan.