Bradley maintainers keep vehicles on track

Photo By Bradley Clark | Muncie, Ind., native, Spc. Kurt Scheidenberger, Bradley fighting vehicle maintainer, A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, guides the hood of a Bradley fighting vehicle to the ground May 16 in Mosul, Iraq. The hood to the vehicle had to be removed in order to pull the engine out of the Bradley to replace the exhaust clamp the engine needed.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

05.24.2007

Story by Pfc. Bradley Clark 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Pfc. Bradley J. Clark
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ, Iraq — Soldiers from A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division rely heavily on the use of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to conduct their mission in Mosul, Iraq.

Because the vehicles are mission essential for the troops, maintenance must be provided to keep them moving.

"The maintenance is daily because the vehicles are used for (the quick reaction force) and route clearance," said Sgt. 1st Class Jerome Crosse, Bradley Fighting Vehicle maintainer non-commissioned officer-in-charge, A Troop, 1-9 Cavalry. "Maintenance can take anywhere from two to six hours a day," added Crosse. "We do it because some things might get neglected and also to prevent mishaps."

Muncie, Ind., native, Spc. Kurt Scheidenberger, Bradley Fighting Vehicle maintainer, agreed with Crosse and added, "Almost every week we have to fix something on the Brads, and when we're fixing it, we can find something else that could use some work."

A good example of this is when they had to pull out an engine to replace an exhaust clamp and saw that they had a few broken seals they had to deal with as well, said Scheidenberger. This can turn some of the easiest tasks into an all-day affair.

Being deployed can also draw out the mission for the maintainers due to a lack of parts and being understaffed, but having to do all the work makes their tour go by a lot faster, said Crosse.

Another benefit to deployment is the fact that they are able to help train their Iraqi counterparts.

"We teach the Iraqi mechanics how to do stuff and loan them parts," said Scheidenberger. "They learn pretty quickly. We showed them how to fix some tires and we only did one then they did the other six."

The work that the mechanics do does not go unnoticed by the troops that it affects.

"They do an awesome job," said Wimauma, Fla., native, Staff Sgt. Enrique Torres, a cavalry scout. "They are the best I have seen in a long time. They are very patient and I am definitely confident in the work that they do."

Sacramento, Calif., native, Pfc. Javier Negrete, a cavalry scout, agreed with Torres about the great job the mechanics do and added, "Every time something breaks, they are out there until it is fixed. They take good care of the Bradleys which means they take care of us."

The job of the maintainers can be gratifying, especially in a combat zone.

"The best part about my job is knowing I'm doing my part to keep the scouts out there," said Crosse. "I'm happy when I see them roll out the gate."

The job of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle maintainers is never done, but the work is something that is vital to the cavalry's mission here in the war on terror.

• Date Taken: 05.24.2007
• Date Posted: 05.31.2007 09:12
• Story ID: 10606
• Location: MOSUL, IQ