MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Whether in Iraq or in the states, the Preservation, Packaging and Packing section delivers.

Marines with the P3 Section, 1st Supply Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistic Group, were awarded the 2006 Department of Defense Packaging Achievement Award.

“The award was DOD wide,” said Master Gunnery Sgt. Kevin D. Smith, the 43-year-old staff noncommissioned officer in charge of P3. “We beat other Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force.”

The team received the award because of their effort to support Marines in Iraq, while stationed at Al Taqaddum, Al Asad and stateside in Camp Pendleton. Through proper packaging, preservation and attention to detail they ensured equipment was in perfect shape when it arrived to its destination.

“You want to receive your equipment useable,” Smith said. “Packaging is a crucial step in the process that is sometimes overlooked or underappreciated.”

They handled around $641 million worth of material to earn the award. In Iraq, their operations ran 24 hours a day and Marines saw anything from various weapons systems and aircraft wings to troops’ personal effects.

“We packed boots, cammies, gas masks, M-16s, and parts for humvees and seven-ton trucks,” said Gunnery Sgt. Chris G. Abello, a 40-year-old SNCOIC of hazardous material and safety from San Jose. “We even did the hazmat certification, which has to do with customs.”

Earning the award lifted the spirits of Marines who work in the shop. Their hard work in Iraq was finally noticed.

“Not too many people know about what we do,” Abello said. “It felt good to be recognized.”

Recognition that Marines in the shop felt was long overdue.

“I was surprised that we didn’t win the award earlier,” said Cpl. Byron G. Corona, a 21-year-old P3 specialist from Los Angeles. “It felt good to win.”