From: Wes Knettle (wsknettl@centurytel.net)
Date: Wed Aug 17 2005 - 19:01:26 PDT
I, like most of us know it takes several 100 people to support one
rifleman or one pilot in combat. Not to take anything away from the
combat rifleman or aviator we don't hear enough about the support folks.
This small article from my USAF news reports web site should interest
most folks interested in MV's.
Wes K
_______________________________________________________________
Mechanics keep war effort rolling
by Tech. Sgt. Brian Davidson
447th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) -- High-mobility multipurpose-wheeled vehicles
began serving America's Soldiers, Airmen and Marines worldwide in 1983.
For 22 years the vehicle has been an icon for troops supporting the full
spectrum of operations from humanitarian and disaster relief to major
theater war.
The Humvee has proven its mettle and has far exceeded its expected
design capabilities.
Today, it is the skill and determination of Air Force and Army mechanics
and vehicle fleet managers working together that keep the Humvee on the
frontlines of the war on terrorism.
The 447th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's vehicle
maintenance flight has met the challenge of keeping the Humvee rolling,
as well as achieving a nearly 100-percent mission capable rate on almost
400 vehicles, including general- and special-purpose trucks, equipment
and refuelers.
This success has been hard fought and required maintainers to look
beyond the Air Force's focused logistics capabilities to get the parts
they needed at the right time, every time, no matter the obstacles.
"Parts -- that's what it's all about when it comes to keeping the fleet
in service," said Master Sgt. Scotty Browning, vehicle management
superintendent. "The system wasn't working, and somewhere along the line
somehow the system lost sight of the fact that these weren't just
vehicle parts, they were parts needed to win the war."
Immediately upon arriving here, Sergeant Browning, Master Sgt. Mike
Campbell, maintenance flight chief, and the rest of the maintainers,
tackled the parts issue by calling on their Army counterparts for
assistance.
Deployed from U.S. Air Forces in Europe headquarters at Ramstein Air
Base, Germany, with more than 10 years of vehicle operations experience,
Sergeant Browning could see the need for immediate joint cooperation to
turn the tide on a slipping mission capable rate.
Now, Air Force vehicle maintainers here take advantage of the Army
supply system and even use Army forms to get critical parts.
"We still use our Air Force reach-back capabilities for routine and
noncritical parts, but the Army system of keeping a vast supply of parts
on-hand helps us keep the rubber on the road," the sergeant said.
Deployed from Malmstrom Air Force Base, Mont., Sergeant Campbell laid
the groundwork with his Army counterpart and made the joint venture a
priority.
With the problem of getting vehicle parts resolved, the team faced the
daunting task of rebuilding a fleet that had dipped in its
mission-capable rates.
For weeks, the team worked nearly 15 hours every day in the grease and
grime of a maintenance tent that stays stiflingly hot both day and
night. Every day an ever-changing line of trucks, buses, Humvees and
other vehicles can be found in the tent, each waiting their turn for repair.
Covered in oil and dirt, mechanics move from one vehicle to the next,
each expanding their skills in performing a vast array of repair needs.
For Senior Airman Larae Thompson, a mechanic on her first deployment
from Luke AFB, Ariz., the challenge of fixing broken vehicles meant a
lot of training to get her up to speed.
"At home, I specialize in repairing things like forklifts and aircraft
tow vehicles," she said. "Until arriving here, I had never worked on a
Humvee or some of the other vehicles we have."
Airman Thompson said the maintenance challenge with Humvees comes from
their nearly constant use in harsh conditions and the weight of extra armor.
"Some of them are almost never turned off because they are constantly on
security patrol," she said. "Add that to the fact that they run in
daytime temperatures close to 120 degrees and that they are carrying
about 4,000 pounds of extra armor, and you can see how things like
brakes, suspensions and air conditioning need special attention."
As a result, Airman Thompson and the rest of the crew are becoming
proficient at many new tasks, which she credits to everyone helping to
train each other.
Despite the fact that the mechanics serve a support role in the war on
terrorism, an ever-present danger remains.
One afternoon, most of the crew was at the group command building for
Sergeant Browning's promotion ceremony. Three Airmen stayed behind to
take care of waiting customers, and it was then that an enemy rocket
found its way into the maintenance compound.
The rocket, by happenstance, hit near the maintenance tent, burying
itself about 7-feet deep without detonating. A few feet in either
direction and it would have hit a concrete surface with what could have
been devastating results.
"After the explosive ordnance disposal team detonated the rocket and
made the area safe, people weren't talking much," Sergeant Browning
said. "They just went right back to work, and even turned out three
fully mission-capable Humvees that night."
Sergeant Browning shudders to think at what could have happened, but
praises the maintenance team for unflappable commitment to their mission.
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