140th Quartermaster Company keeping things clean

Published June 19, 2015
By Sgt. Marco Gutierrez
350th Public Affairs Detachment

JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Training for real world missions requires Soldiers to go out in the field and getting covered in dirt and grime comes with the job.

The thousands of Soldiers participating in this year's Combat Support Training Exercise Global Lightning and the Quartermaster Liquid Logistics Exercise held here at the joint base can come back from a day of hard training to enjoy the comforts of a hot shower and clean clothes thanks to units like the 140th Quartermaster Company.

The company is a shower, laundry and clothing repair unit out of Fort Totten, New York also participating in the exercises.

"At the end of the day it's a morale booster, they like clean clothes and a shower," said Army Spc. Kateema Bayley-Glae, 140th QM Company shower, laundry, and clothing repair specialist.

The 140th QM Company provides hot showers and clean laundry to more than 2,000 Soldiers participating in Global Lightning and the QLLEX.

"Its a lot of work; we get bundles and bundles of clothing each day - about 300 a day," said Army Spc. Tymir Brooks, 140th QM Company shower, laundry, and clothing repair specialist.

Soldiers of the 140th often work over 12 hours each day throughout exercise. It's imperative to keep laundry and showers running for the Soldiers during exercises like these going on at the joint base, explained Bayley-Glae.

It's been great training for the Soldiers of the 140th, allowing them to gain valuable experience and develop skills as leaders, he continued.

"The time here helped me become more organized, and it taught me how to give more effective instructions, because there are so many moving parts in this job," said Bayley-Glae.

In addition to providing experience, field training also works to build camaraderie among units and the 140th is no exception.

"We have to help each other, there's always team work," said Army Spc. Milton Rodriguez, 140th QM Company shower, laundry, and clothing repair specialist. "It helps us accomplish the mission faster and more efficiently,"