By Tech. Sgt. Alexandre Montes , 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs / Published March 11, 2020
Volunteers from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing help sort clothing items for re-distribution or disposal as part of a base-upkeep initiative at Ali Al Salem Air Base March 4, 2020. The 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron, along with volunteers, were able to consolidate items from clothing drop-off bins that have been collected over the past few years to help properly de-clutter the installation. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Alexandre Montes)
Airmen with the 386th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron couldn't bear looking at the overflowing boxes any longer. After some coordination, volunteers helped to expertly dispose of the uniform items without violating operational and personal security.
With thousands of pounds of used uniform items in large CONEX boxes, these will not just get rid of themselves.
"The 'Combat Attic' was filled to the top,"" said Staff Sgt. Samantha Cubillan, 386th EFSS marketing director. ""We are basically trying to take it all out and start the DRMO (Defense Reutilization Marketing Office) process."
The disposal process is handled by the Defense Logistics Agency, which manages a disposition service for military installations. The responsibility of making sure the items to meet the disposal regulations rely on the service component or installation.
"We went through big Conex boxes of items that we are going to scrap, DRMO or send to the Airman's Attic," said Staff Sgt. Benjamin Moran, 386th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron electrical systems journeyman. "Overall it is easily over 800 [boxes], if you're including the boot boxes, may be over 1200."
To help out with the number of items that needed to be separated and tagged, volunteers went through years of uniform bin donations to find out which were serviceable and what was meant for destruction.
"We didn't have enough manpower [within the squadron], so we asked for volunteers to help out and sort to get it out of the way,"" said Cubillan.
The volunteers had to sort through other military services and coalition items as well. A task that was a tall order, but not for this team.
The Airmen solicited help from around the installation that helped move the boxes with forklifts, flatbeds, and other transportation devices.
"I think that this is great; this is what I've been doing since I've been here with my shop and other shops with base upkeep, which is important," said Moran. "You can tuck everything into a corner for a while, but eventually it is going to be a problem. So coming out here and helping clean-up is for the long run.”
Cubillan expressed that she appreciated the support from all the volunteers to make the future better for the installation. This project ensured the collection bins stay low, along with helping Airmen find serviceable items save money not only for themselves but for the Air Force as well.