Dirty Jobs: Motor pool Monday

Photo By Sgt. Gun Woo Song | Cpl. Sohn Jung-seok, from Yongin, South Korea, an administrative specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 210th Field Artillery Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, checks fluid levels under the hood of a Humvee during Motorpool Monday on Camp Casey, South Korea, Aug. 11.  

CAMP CASEY, 41, SOUTH KOREA

08.11.2014

Story by Spc. Sara Wiseman 

2nd Infantry Division/ROK-U.S. Combined Division

CAMP CASEY, South Korea – The smell of love is in the air! Wait, that’s just oil.

Whether on the Korean peninsula or in the states, Mondays mean getting under the hood of your assigned military vehicle, and performing operator preventative maintenance checks and services (PMCS).

On Aug. 11, the standard was no different. Soldiers across the 210th Field Artillery Brigade at Camp Casey, South Korea, spent their morning digging down into the guts of their Humvees in search of leaking fluids and mechanical issues before risking it on the road.

Manned with their trusty technical manuals and equipment maintenance and inspection worksheet, or DA Form 5988-E, Soldiers were able to locate and document any problems going on with their vehicles, generators, or trailers. Sometimes, they even get a second breakfast.

“I’ve had the misfortune of tasting every fluid the vehicles run on,” said Sgt. Charles Descalzi, from Seattle, Washington, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to 70th Brigade Support Battalion, 210th FA Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. “Anti freeze and transmission fluids are pretty sweet, almost like candy. Oil though, not so much.”

Despite the taste of victory being close at hand, the consequences of not properly completing a PMCS, can lead to severe consequences.

“If a tire falls off because someone didn’t check the torque, or one vehicle in a convoy breaks down, you’re a sitting duck,” said Descalzi. “You don’t want to be rolling out to the front lines risking an accident that can be easily prevented.”

Consistently and accurately wrenching through PMCS every Monday is one of the ways that leaders of the 210th FA Brigade, are able to maintain unit readiness.

“By doing these checks on equipment, Soldiers are developing trust and confidence in their vehicles,” said 1st Lt. Matt Deschene, from Nashwood, N.H., the executive officer of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 210th FA Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. “Understanding each piece of equipment through technical manuals and PMCS is how they’re going be ready to 'Fight Tonight'.”

• Date Taken: 08.11.2014
• Date Posted: 08.19.2014 02:11
• Story ID: 139734
• Location: CAMP CASEY, 41, KR
• Hometown: SEATTLE, WA, US