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Members of NAVELSG Tango, Golf Return Home

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS080403-14
Release Date: 4/3/2008 3:18:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Matthew D. Leistikow, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic

HAMPTON, Va (NNS) -- About 100 Sailors mobilized by Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group (NAVELSG), Navy Customs Battalion Tango and Port Group Golf, returned home April 2 after serving in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Golf on-loaded and off-loaded cargo vessels and oversaw cargo marshalling yards while Tango was tasked with passenger inspections and preventing foreign plant, animal pests and diseases from entering the United States.

"It was extremely critical," said Cmdr. Bruce J. Wyer, Tango's executive officer, about Tango's mission. "It's great coming home and they should be very proud."

Both groups performed their duties during the holiday season and away from their families.

"That was the toughest time," said Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Michael Escott, a Sailor from Tango. "We banded together and tried to do everything we could to make it feel like Christmas over there as our own little family."

Tango inspected more than 160,000 passengers with 425,000 pieces of baggage and 6,100 containers.

"Every day we went in with an attitude that we were going to be prepared to search as much as we can, find as much as we can, do the best job we can and exceed the expectations of what company Sierra had before us," said Escott. "You kind of watch out for each other. You see someone has a bit of downtime and you see they're missing home and not feeling right, so you try and cheer them up and keep the camaraderie going."

Port Group Golf oversaw more than 70,000 pieces of equipment on-loaded or off-loaded onto 58 ships throughout its deployment.

"Being kind of a low man on the totem pole it really gives you a perspective on how big the operation is, and knowing you were a part of something so big really gives you a good feeling inside," said Seaman Apprentice Ross Cassidy, a Sailor from Golf. "You know you made a difference."

With their deployment over, Sailors were happy to be back home with their loved ones.

"The feeling is you appreciate everything more now than you ever did before," said Escott. "It's like your eyes are opened up. When we landed, we were clapping on the plane. It felt like we actually did the job that we were supposed to do over there."

NAVELSG is a component of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC). NECC is a global force provider of adaptive force packages of expeditionary capabilities to joint warfighting commanders. NECC serves as a single functional command to centrally manage the current and future readiness, resources, manning, training and equipping of the Navy Expeditionary Force.

For more news from Navy Expeditionary Logistics Support Group, visit www.navy.mil/local/nelsf/.