Adkins, Douglas, SFC

Chemical
 
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Current Service Status
USAR Veteran
Current/Last Rank
Sergeant First Class
Current/Last Service Branch
Chemical Corps
Current/Last Primary MOS
74D-Chemical Operations Specialist
Current/Last MOS Group
Chemical
Primary Unit
2008-2008, 74D, 3rd Battalion, 166th Regiment (NCOA), HHC, 166th Regiment (Regional Training Institute)
Service Years
2011 - Present
Official/Unofficial US Army Certificates
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Presidential Certificate of Appreciation
Golden Dragon Certificate
Chemical Corps
Sergeant First Class
Four Service Stripes

 Official Badges 




 Unofficial Badges 




 Military Associations and Other Affiliations
N/ANon Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA)
  2008, Chemical Corps Regimental Association, N/A (Member) (United States) - Chap. Page
  2008, Non Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) - Assoc. Page


 Additional Information
What are you doing now:

I'm currently working as a network engineer providing support for about 38 types of equipment. Some of them are cisco, alcatel, juniper, nortel and lucent devices and cover IPlink, IPVPN, Dial Access, DSL, Firewalls, Concentrators, Contivity Clients, ATM, MLFR, Frame Relay, PIP, Transaction Data Pkt, Telco Ckts and the list goes on. Customers range from Govt, Fortune 500 and small mom and pop businesses.

I use my spare time to renovate an old Victorian home here in Lancaster, Ohio and work on homes I purchased to rent out. My next project is a total renovation of one home that had sustained fire damage and should start in October "07". Big project, but fun work.

A new chapter starts in my life at the age of 44, and still feeling like 28ish.
I have been given the opportunity to enlist in the Ohio National Guard, and have accepted a position as a 74D (WMD NCO). 
I will keep this chapter updated on my profile and if you have any interest in the Guard, check it out! You may be surprised on what you can get!!!

I've have just finished Chemical School in Ft Leonard Wood, MO. I arrived on the 8th of Aug 08 and graduated on the 21st of Oct.
I'm also hoping to see a full time position open up shortly after school so I can finally be back in the saddle for the duration of my (atleast) 20 years.

   
Other Comments:

I've been with the company starting out with UUNET then turning to WorldCom then changing the name to MCI and now that Verizon bought us out, I'm happy to be with them.


If you are interested, you can also check out my profile on Marines.togetherweserved.com
Just click on the icon on the home page and check in as a guest.


   


Operation Sharp Guard (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
From Month/Year
June / 1993
To Month/Year
June / 1996

Description
Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea by NATO and the Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia. Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners.

The operation began on 15 June 1993. It was suspended on 19 June 1996, and was terminated on 2 October 1996.

Background
HMCS Algonquin
The operation replaced naval blockades Operation Maritime Guard (of NATO; begun by the U.S. in November 1992) and Sharp Fence (of the WEU). It put them under a single chain of command and control (the "Adriatic Military Committee", over which the NATO and WEU Councils exerted joint control), to address what their respective Councils viewed as wasteful duplication of effort. Some maintain that despite the nominal official joint command and control of the operation, in reality it was NATO staff that ran the operation.
Purpose

The operation's purpose was, through a blockade on shipments to the former Yugoslavia,[10] to enforce economic sanctions and an arms embargo of weapons and military equipment against the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and rival factions in Croatia and Bosnia. The Yugoslav Wars were being waged, and the participants hoped to limit the fighting by limiting supplies to it.

Blockade
Fourteen nations contributed ships and patrol aircraft to the operation. At any given time, 22 ships and 8 aircraft were enforcing the blockade, with ships from Standing Naval Force Atlantic and Standing Naval Force Mediterranean establishing a rotating duty. (Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S.), and eight maritime patrol aircraft, were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners. Most contributors to the operation supplied one or two ships. The Turkish Navy, for example, participated with frigates, submarines, and tankers.

The operational area was divided into a series of "sea boxes", each the responsibility of a single warship. Each boarding team was composed of a "guard team" to board and wrest control of the target ship, and a "search team", to conduct the search.

The ships were authorized to board, inspect, and seize both ships seeking to break the blockade and their cargo. The Combined Task Force 440 was commanded by Admiral Mario Angeli of Italy. It marked the first time since its founding in 1949 that NATO was involved in combat operations.
Lido II incident

Type 22 frigate HMS Chatham
The issue of differing views among nations in the coalition as to the use of force authorized by rules of engagement arose in April 1994. Faced with the Maltese tanker Lido II making its way towards Montenegrin port with 45,000 tons of fuel oil, a U.S. cruiser (USS Philippine Sea) asked the NATO commander (a British Commodore) for guidance, and received authorization to use "disabling fire" to stop the tanker, if necessary. He received confirmation that he should follow the British commodore's guidance from his own higher authority. Under U.S. Navy standards, "disabling fire" means firing rounds into the ship's engineering space. The U.S. cruiser was about to pass the order along to the Dutch Kortenaer-class frigate HMNLS Van Kinsbergen. However, the fact that the Dutch definition of "disabling fire" involves launching rounds into the bridge of the target ship, with an increased risk of loss of life, became important. The ship was boarded by Dutch Marines inserted by helicopter from HMNLS Van Kinsbergen and eventually stopped without firing a shot on the first of May. Three Yugoslav Navy Konar-class corvettes challenged the NATO operation and one of them tried to ram the British frigate HMS Chatham as it was assisting Van Kinsberger. The corvettes eventually fled following the reaction of the British warship, supported by Italian Tornado aircraft which scrambled from an airbase at Gioia Del Colle. Lido II had to undergo repairs before being diverted to Italy, since the crew had sabotaged the ship's engine room. The leaking was contained by an engineer party from HMS Chatham. Seven Yugoslav stowaways were found on board.

Statistics
The "NATO and WEU forces challenged more than 73,000 ships, boarded and inspected almost 6,000 at sea, and diverted 1,500 suspect ships to ports for further inspection." Of those, nearly a dozen vessels were found to be blockade runners, some carrying arms in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. NATO officials said no ships were able to run the blockade successfully, and that the maritime blockade had a major effect in preventing escalation of the conflict.

Suspension
HMS Nottingham
The blockade was suspended following a UN decision to end the arms embargo, and NATO's Southern Command said that: "NATO and WEU ships will no longer challenge, board or divert ships in the Adriatic". The Independent warned at the time that "In theory, there could now be a massive influx of arms to Bosnia, Croatia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), although senior military and diplomatic sources yesterday said that they thought this would be unlikely."Operation Sharp Guard was a multi-year joint naval blockade in the Adriatic Sea by NATO and the Western European Union on shipments to the former Yugoslavia. Warships and maritime patrol aircraft from 14 countries were involved in searching for and stopping blockade runners.

 
   
My Participation in This Battle or Operation
From Month/Year
June / 1993
To Month/Year
June / 1996
 
Last Updated:
Mar 16, 2020
   
Personal Memories
   
My Photos From This Battle or Operation
No Available Photos

  9 Also There at This Battle:
 
  • Atkinson, Kevin, SPC, (1989-1993)
  • Cole, Shane, SFC, (1987-2013)
  • Garcia, Mike, SFC, (1991-2018)
  • Gore, Anthony, SGT, (1994-2001)
  • Jimenez, Edilberto, SSG, (1980-2008)
  • Mera Agosto, Ediberto, CPT, (1988-2015)
  • Williamson, James, CW3, (1989-2014)
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