Photo Information

CAMP BLUE DIAMOND, AR RAMADI, Iraq - Lance Cpl. Bryan Wells, a 20-year-old Pamplico, S.C. native, drives a fork lift, July 11. He is the supply requisition and liquidation manager for the 2nd Marine Division, Headquarters Battalion Supply section. His job is nonstop. Whether he's working in the small hours of the morning checking supplies as they come in by convoy or whether he's coordinating the dissemination of much needed vehicle parts for humvees, Wells is the main man when it comes to getting things here. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio (RELEASED)

Photo by Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio

Supply Marine keeps camp moving

24 Jul 2005 | Sgt. Stephen D'Alessio 2nd Marine Division

Lance Cpl. Wells isn’t a mechanic, he isn’t a vehicle operator and he doesn’t know how to fix a generator.  But without him, the trucks and machinery on the camp would be as good as scrap metal.

Bryan Wells, a 20-year-old Pamplico, S.C., native, is the supply requisition and liquidation manager for the 2nd Marine Division, Headquarters Battalion Supply section.  His job is nonstop.  Whether he’s working in the small hours of the morning checking supplies as they come in by convoy or whether he’s coordinating the dissemination of much needed vehicle parts for humvees, Wells is the main man when it comes to getting things here.

He deals with a lot of inanimate objects when it comes to inventorying, tracking and shipping parts and other military gear from radios to radiators.  But most importantly, he’s a professional in dealing with people.

“I think the hardest part of my job is dealing with customers,” said Wells, a 2002 Hannah Pamplico High School graduate.  “The best thing I’ve learned is to bite my tongue,” he added jokingly.

Before Wells enlisted in the Corps, he was working at a Taco Bell “not doing much,” according to him.  Now, he’s in charge of ensuring equipment is shipped from the U.S. to a port in Kuwait and finally here.  The equipment is usually used to fix downed vehicles and broken gear that the Marines and Sailors here need to run the camp.

One day back in Pamplico, he was playing pool in a billiards hall when a couple of Marine recruiters approached him for a game.  That was the beginning of the Lance Cpl. Wells story.

“I was beating them pretty badly and they brought up that I might be interested in enlisting in the Corps.  “It wasn’t long after that I was on a bus to (Marine Corps Recruit Depot) Parris Island.”

Just a few years later, he’s finally found his niche.  When he attended Hannah Pamlico High, he played tight end on the H.P. Raiders football team.  He also played on the golf, track and cross country teams.  None of them were exactly his forte.

“I sucked, but I had fun while it lasted,” said Wells.  “Now, I’ve found something I can excel in.”

Wells has been excelling in other things as well.  Currently, he’s attending a college math course held here by one of the battalion’s officers.  He plans to attend the next algebra course and he also has some miscellaneous credits from elective courses taken while on active duty.

His time here has been well spent.  Working in one of the busiest sections in the battalion, he’s come to appreciate his free time and is taking the Corps for all that it’s worth.

“I want to use my (Montgomery) G.I. Bill when I get out,” said Wells.  “I’m not sure for what yet, but I’m definitely going to attend college and take advantage of the things the Marine Corps has to offer.”