A single company

[Carl Spackler]

Accoring to the Hartford Courant, Colonel John Whitford has called the approx. 100 men stationed at Rentschler field with supply distrbution orders "A fairly decent sized operation".

http://blogs.courant.com/uconn_football/

Are you kidding me? A single company of men off loading, and loading trucks for supply distribution?

A single company?

Two universities athletic departments, approx 40,000 cash paying football fans, in need of distraction after a natural disaster (anyone remember the rally around the Saints a few years ago).

All of that, outweighed by a single company of national guardsmen that are not capable of re-deploying their supply redistribution orders to another site.

General George S. Patton's ghost better be among that company of men.

Methinks Colonel Whitford is covering somebody's ass. Perhaps somebody like a governor.

Because a single company of men, with simple supply chain moving orders, better be able to move their distribution center, and re-deploy elsewhere and then return to the same location, if they have to, in an area the size of the ENTIRE state of CT if necessary all within 48 hours without any problem.

 

[Skiblets]

Just read that. Changed my tune completely.

 

[zls44]

This is much ado about not much. If they can't get their stuff done by Sat/Sun? Different story.

Spackler just wants to make this political and blame Malloy. Did it in the other thread, doing it here.

Towns in need will send trucks to Renstchler, and the Guardsmen are loading those trucks. In some cases, Whitford said, trucks are going out to the towns that cannot send a truck.

"It's a fairly decent-sized operation," Whitford said.

Well, clearly we need Major General Spackler on it, since he knows more about this than Whitford. I get on the military about bloated bureacracy more than most, but I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a guy running the operation over a guy behind a keyboard. At least through Friday.

 

[Carl Spackler]

You're wrong. If the size of that military unit reported is accurate, that unit should have a captain sitting right in the middle of a chain of command such that they can pack that operation up and move it anywhere in the state and have it up and running again in 6 hours or less, and they don't need an airfield and 40,000 seat facility. They can run an operation that size out of an empty warehouse, and the people looking for the supplies most definitely will find them wehrever they are. As for empty warehouses, you can find them all over the place in the greater hartford area.

This most definitely is somebody's political statement, and it was a mistake.

If it's actually a large operation, it's a differnt story. But 100 men?

 

[Carl Spackler]

FYI: I'm pretty sure the UCMB consists of at least 100 individuals, probalby a lot more, and they can pack up and move all their equipment pretty quickly. It' doesn't take an entire day.

 

[Kgun7]

You're wrong. If the size of that military unit reported is accurate, that unit should have a captain sitting right in the middle of a chain of command such that they can pack that operation up and move it anywhere in the state and have it up and running again in 6 hours or less, and they don't need an airfield and 40,000 seat facility. They can run an operation that size out of an empty warehouse, and the people looking for the supplies most definitely will find them wehrever they are. As for empty warehouses, you can find them all over the place in the greater hartford area.

This most definitely is somebody's political statement, and it was a mistake.

If it's actually a large operation, it's a differnt story. But 100 men?

I don't know much about military supply logistics or "political football". But are you really going to ask 100 men, who sleep on cots in the concourse, to stop loading relief supplies, forego their sleep, and move to another location - and then back again 24 hours later ... so you can attend a football game? Why don't you gather 100 of your best friends and go move their operation for them.

Personally ... I'm not sure I know a good way out of this dilema ... but I certainly wouldn't put more of a burden on our national guard troops.

 

[UConn4ever]

You're wrong. If the size of that military unit reported is accurate, that unit should have a captain sitting right in the middle of a chain of command such that they can pack that operation up and move it anywhere in the state and have it up and running again in 6 hours or less, and they don't need an airfield and 40,000 seat facility. They can run an operation that size out of an empty warehouse, and the people looking for the supplies most definitely will find them wehrever they are. As for empty warehouses, you can find them all over the place in the greater hartford area.

This most definitely is somebody's political statement, and it was a mistake.

If it's actually a large operation, it's a differnt story. But 100 men?

It should take a lot less time then that if they know what there doing

 

[Carl Spackler]

In a different political environment, I don't believe this situation is allowed to happen. Thats all.

Seriously, an operation this size? When I got the news, I thought the entire Army National Guard not already deployed somewhere along the coastline, or at least a major part of both that and the airwing was gathered at the complex - at least a 1,000 - probalby several thousand guys centrally located and operations - but 100 guys - supply line redistribution?

Come on people. The governor is the commander in chief of these guys, and he made a bad call.

Supply redistribution managed by 100 guardsmen doesn't need in an emergency situation doesn't need to occupy a space that can be producing the kind of revenue that thursday nights game would have.

 

[Carl Spackler]

It should take a lot less time then that if they know what there doing

We're talking about army national guard, a gave 6 hours or less generously. You can drive across the entire state diagonally in 3 hours.

 

[BlueMAB]

Just read that. Changed my tune completely.

+1

 

[Skiblets]

Would be interesting to understand how many trucks they are loading daily to see how complex an operation they are manning

 

[TMB4405]

This whole thing is ridiculous. I heard there were two tractor trailers there today and 18 on the way tomorrow. They could run the operation at the old Showcase theater up the road. I understand the seriousness of the situation, however this is not the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

 

[Skiblets]

This whole thing is ridiculous. I heard there were two tractor trailers there today and 18 on the way tomorrow. They could run the operation at the old Showcase theater up the road. I understand the seriousness of the situation, however this is not the Indian Ocean Tsunami.

Legit source or are you stirring the pot?

 

[Carl Spackler]

I know there are military around here, at least there were before. I'd like to hear their opinions. I think that there was either a blatant disregard for the interests involved around the university of connecticut and fordham university by the governor's office, or somebody compeltely dropped the ball in the governor's office. It all depends on the reported size of that unit being accurate.

At that size, if you've got 30 man crews working three 8 hour shifts, that's technically, 240 man hours per shift running 24 hours a day. You can move a hell of lot more than I can guarantee those 100 guys are moving in 24 hours. You can do it a hell of lot more efficiently out of a warehouse that's got rows of loading docks for the trucks to back into and roll up and roll out.

I'd like to know how many hours they've been lying around in those bunks and playing cards on the concourse.

Look - I'm not minimizing the tragedy that has struck our state in anyway, and what thousands of thousands of people are ahving difficulties with across the state.

But no matter how I look at this, given the information I've got, it's a terrible call that the governor's office made.

 

[BlueMAB]

According to the governor, during his press conference this afternoon which occurred the same time this story leaked....he had no idea if the game was postponed or not.

I gave whoever's decision this was the benefit of the doubt. I suggested the Showcase up the street, but admitted I didn't know how large of an operation it was. 100 guys? They could keep those 100 guys there, keep operations running, and still have the game, just schedule the last trucks to be loaded to leave by about 6:30. They'll be fine.

 

[sportsart]

New Britain Stadium has a large parking lot. Whoever made the decision to use the Rent is not to bright. This could have a major affect on UConn's season.

Read John Silver's blog. He nailed it.

 

[SubbaBub]

What's done is done. Emergency response plans and operation centers like this are planned years in advance. The only order is "GO." The Rent is perfect for this for all the reasons mentioned in the various threads. It's unfortunate that its one of the few game weeks. That being said, if someone with the appropriate initiative recongnized the conflict, it would have been very easy to relocate this operation once the initial thrust was over to one of the backup sites. That person should not have been the Governor, as he was rightly busy on other matters. I suspect they will wrap up their work or divert any incoming supplies to alternate sites and the game will go on Saturday. If not, then anyone who wants to bitch, can do so unabashedly.

 

[Carl Spackler]

The governor is the commander in chief of CT National Guard, and I find it hard to believe that somebody made the call of cancelling this game without him knowing about if first, and I'm not sure that if he didn't know about it - and somebody else made the call, that would make me feel any better about it. The guy is supposed to be informed about things like what the State national guard operations in time of emergency are doing.

I hope the game gets rescheduled quick.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't know much about military supply logistics or "political football". But are you really going to ask 100 men, who sleep on cots in the concourse, to stop loading relief supplies, forego their sleep, and move to another location - and then back again 24 hours later ... so you can attend a football game? Why don't you gather 100 of your best friends and go move their operation for them.

Personally ... I'm not sure I know a good way out of this dilema ... but I certainly wouldn't put more of a burden on our national guard troops.

Do you got a $5MM check to cover the lost revenue of the game? If not, maybe the National Guard company should check out the showcase cinema up the street.

 

[TMB4405]

TMB4405 said: ↑
Legit source or are you stirring the pot?
I heard this from the Gov himself at the 5:33 update. I think I heard correctly.
​

 

[Palatine]

This is not a large operation. It could be run out of the Hartford Armory. In fact, the Hartford Armory has a better communications and logistics capability.

 

[Carl Spackler]

FUBAR. that's what all of this.

Just the first bump of adversity for the team to face in 2011.

The game better get rescheduled quick, and conveniently and with a lot of kowtow. Idiot politicians. Even more importantly, the 100 guardsman living in the open air concourse of Rentschler field better get put to work doing something useful besides operating forklifts. They've got the kind of heavy equipment that's useful in repairing infrastructure like roads, bridges and utility poles, and removing downed trees.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I'd like to see a legitimate link and reference to that comment that there a total of 20 trucks that have come into, or are scheduled to arrive at Rentschler for unloading and redistribution in the period of the next 24 hours. With the crew the size reported to be there, and having rescheduled something that can potentially cost the univeristy of connecticue millions of dollars, It better be a lot more than 20 trucks.

100 men operating efficiently can unload 20 trucks, distribute and get all those supplies to multiple locations all over the state in, my generous estimate again - less than 6 hours. They could run the operation out at the end of the runway in daylight, and clear weather without having to even set up any shelter.

I've got to stop thinking about this. Good night all. I hope that by the time I'm up and at em tomorrow, we've got a game to play on Saturday.

FUBAR.

 

[Husky7793]

Carl/Waylon in a previous life.

“If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking.”

​

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

 

[BlueMAB]

Carl/Waylon in a previous life.

“If everybody's thinking alike, somebody isn't thinking.”

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

Waylon is now nelsonmuntz