Marine Corps reservists activated to meet MCLB-Albany need

This is the 12th installment in an occasional series highlighting the individuals and entities at Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany.

ALBANY — When a specific job cannot be completed efficiently by the current force of active Marines on a given installation, a surge in force can be mobilized to help fill in to get the job done and ensure the core mission of an installation remains intact.

Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany found itself in such a situation on Jan. 22 after an EF-3 tornado hit the base directly and caused more than $100 million in damages, including thousands of pieces of equipment that needed to be inspected before they could be considered mission-ready again.

Enter Marine reservists.

“There is very little flexibility here, and a majority of the work force is civilian,” Rodney Bearman, communications specialist for Marine Corps Logistics Command at the Albany base, said. “(It was necessary) to mobilize reserves to handle additional workload.”

In the case of the tornado, there was considerable damage to equipment as well as infrastructure. The determination from LOGCOM was that reservists needed to be activated so that a proper focus could be geared toward recovery.

Bearman said since MCLB had not needed a surge in force for some time, maintenance and operation efforts required reinforcements.

“The base here does not have life support to handle a surge,” he said.

The reservists were put on active duty and came to MCLB-Albany earlier this year from across the country to not only fill in and help meet specific needs, but to also get out in the community to give back through volunteerism.

“It has been an (opportunity to serve) here (at the base), but also for Albany,” Bearman said.

Helping get the base back on its feet was more than turning lights on. The mission was, in a sense, to get the entire Marine Corps back on its feet.

“MCLB is a large asset for distribution and inventory,” Bearman said. “For the Marine Corps, this is primarily it. (The local damages) impacted the entire Corps.

“As soon as we have any stoppage, the gap grows between availability and need.”

Lance Cpl. Nicholas Schmall, a California reservist, came to Albany to help in the recovery effort. He is one of a number of reservists brought in after natural disasters, such as the local tornado or Hurricane Harvey, or during times of conflict when there is a shortage of regular active-duty members.

Schmall, who is working in the weapons warehouse at the installation, is there on an 11-month contract. Others were here on a six-month contract, and extensions are added as needed.

“If we do need more people, we will take volunteers to extend,” Bearman said.

Schmall said the service is a good way to give back to the country and travel, the latter of which he has done for two years out of his three with the Corps.

“I wanted to actually really mobilize and do something outside of my comfort zone,” he said. “(This time in Albany) is a rare opportunity, and it probably would not happen again.”

Schmall’s job as a small arms repair technician is to help assess the weapons, many of which were either misplaced or damaged in the tornado, alongside the civilians already on the installation. The weapons are evaluated, and connections are made with contractors to get them in working order.

It is a job that might not get done without the reserves made available to help.

“They needed bodies, and specific (military occupational specialties) with talent they did not have here,” Schmall said.

Schmall said the volunteer opportunities came about outside of the of base by going into the areas hardest hit on Jan. 22 and walking door-to-door, making a list of needs. While the new reservists have gotten accustomed to the restaurant scene in the Albany area, they have also taken part in memorial runs, Toys for Tots, mentorship opportunities and other community events.

Ultimately, their duties are all about meeting needs.

“The community is treating us well,” Schmall said. “(We) are here, and serving the community.”