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379th ELRS Defense Reutilization Marketing Office

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tong Duong
  • 379th AEW Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  As a customer scavenges through discarded generators, vehicles and unserviceable government property, hoping to find the part he needs, two 'Junkyard dogs,' Staff Sgt. Alain Diaz, and Airman 1st Class Frank Nitti, deployed here from Eglin Air Force Base, Fl., catalog, sort and process items destined for auction or scrap. 

The AIrmen are members of the 379th Expeditionary Logistic Readiness Squadron Materiel Management Flight, Defense Reutilization Marketing Office.

"Our flight is unique because we are a holding area unlike the traditional DRMO at your homestation," said Sergeant Diaz. "This is the local staging point for excess government property that will be transfer to auction yards elsewhere in theather."

DRMO generates funds from items turned in by U.S. Air Force, sister service and Coalition Forces  through auction sales and metal.

"When an item becomes obsolete it is turned in to us, rather than trashed. If it's serviceable, we ship it to auction yards, if not we sell it as scrap," Sergeant Diaz said. "The money from the sales is used to purchase more up-to-date computers, generators and mission essential equipment so we can keep the mission here going and our equipment one-step ahead of our adversaries." 

The Air Force not only reaps the benefits through its sales of DMRO items, but it also saves servicemembers here time and money, said Sergeant Diaz.
 
"People can come in and find anything from wheel bearings to compressor parts," he said. "If we have a product that the customer needs, they can just pick it up from us. It minimizes downtime and saves money, because they don't have to buy replacement parts and wait, sometimes weeks, for them to come in." 

To streamline processing time and decrease waste, DMRO only receives stock listed items, according to Airman Nitti. 

"In the past, we've received office furnitures', generators, refrigerators, C-130 tires, computers, vehicles, tools and more, but with the new system we only accept items with a stock number or identification number, so we can track its history." 

All persons wanting to turn-in, withdraw items or browse the DRMO yard must check-in with the DRMO personnel before proceeding to the yard, for more information please contact the DRMO Liaison, at 437-5124/2349. 

Building 3716 hours of operation are 7 a.m. through 7 p.m. daily.

All property to be withdrawn from the DRMO holding area is authorized for official government purposes only. At no time will items being withdrawn be used for personal reasons or monetary gain. That is considered a CRIME and the offenders will face possible prosecution under military law.