U.S. Army Central/Third Army's (Third Army) "Sustain the Fight" initiative aims at providing the finest logistical support for warfighters currently performing duties in different areas of operation.

The mission requires servicemembers attached to Third Army to work demanding schedules in order to provide the transportation of critical equipment all over the world.

The Soldiers of the 1185th Deployment Distribution Support Battalion (1185th DSSB) are supporting the responsible drawdown from Iraq and the buildup of other areas of theater as they perform their duties at the Port of Shuabia, a Seaport of Debarkation located in Kuwait.

The battalion is tasked with managing port operations and aids Third Army in coordinating with many agencies and organizations to ensure the success of their mission.

"The 1185th's mission is unique because we not only run the port, which includes all the aspects of uploading and downloading the cargo from these ships, but we also have four [Deployment Distribution Support Teams] independently positioned across Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan," said Maj. Eric Delellis, operations officer, 1185th DDSB.

"This allows us to reach out to our customers directly and help them in taking their cargo down in the most efficient and safe manner possible."

To complete this mission, the Soldiers of the 1185th DDSB are required to work on a daily basis with multiple branches of the United States military in addition to civilian contractors and local nationals.

"These Soldiers not only have to be experts at their military jobs, we also have to function as diplomats for the United States Army and Third Army to help build better relationships to complete the mission," said Delellis. "This environment creates unique challenges for our Soldiers because of the need to build these working relationships."

The challenges at the Port of Shuabia offer unique situations for every warrior on their team, often empowering junior enlisted Soldiers to take on additional responsibilities to get the mission accomplished, said Pfc. Brandon Akana, cargo specialist with the vessel team of the 1185th DDSB.

"My position here is teaching me a lot and giving me leadership opportunities when we need to make sure the mission gets completed," said Akana.

"Sometimes it can get pretty hectic here, but we have developed a great relationship with each other.

This mission makes me feel good because the harder I work, the faster equipment gets up to the Soldiers that need it for their missions."

"We are able to help Third Army by getting their equipment to the warfighter in the best manner possible to support future operations," said Delellis.