Soldiers keep wheels rolling

Photo By Sgt. Spencer Case | Two mechanics for the 145th Maintenance Co. of New York, Spc. Stephen Bowen (top) and Cpl. Franklin Morales (bottom), fix a vehicle at Camp Echo, Nov. 11. Photo by Spc. Spencer Case.  

TALLIL AIR BASE, IRAQ

11.25.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

TALLIL, Iraq " For the Soldiers of New York's 145th Maintenance Co., success in Iraq has required both perspiration and inspiration.
Since January, the Bronx-based unit of about 200 Soldiers has played an integral part of coalition efforts at six key installations throughout southern Iraq.
Their tasks include routine and emergency vehicle maintenance, armoring vehicles for U.S., Iraqi and other coalition troops and teaching vehicle familiarization classes to non-U.S. troops.
"There are no extra vehicles anywhere in theater," said Captain Robert Zizolfo, the commander of the 145th. "So anytime a vehicle is down, it affects the missionâ?¦.Operating in a field environment is quite a challenge, but my soldiers, they're very resourceful, they're very creative."
In order to adapt to the new challenges, 145th Soldiers have to make the best use of what is available. One way to do this is practicing controlled exchange, said Staff Sgt. Paul Bieron, the NCOIC of the maintenance team at Camp Echo. If three vehicles are not mission capable, the mechanics are often able to salvage two of the vehicles by using parts from the third, so the unit they are servicing has two of the three vehicles until parts to fix the third arrive.
The 145th maintenance team in Camp Charlie, a Polish-controlled installation near the Iraqi city of Al Hillah, found a way to get the equipment they needed quicker and save tax dollars as a bonus. Often when mechanics replaced tires, the rim assembly was still in good shape. Instead of ordering whole assemblies, as most units do, the 145th Soldiers ordered the tires alone and used a little bit of elbow grease to put the tires on the old rims.
Since the entire assembly cost $850 and the tire alone cost only $300, each individually ordered tire saved the Army about $550. Over the course of the deployment, the savings have added up to hundreds of thousands of dollars, Zizolfo said.
The hard work of the 145th has paid off directly in saving the lives of Iraqi soldiers of the 2nd Motorized Transportation Regiment. To date, the 145th provided armor for at least 70 percent of the 2nd MTR's fleet, while a local Iraqi contractor provided the remainder of the armor, wrote Maj. David Motes, a U.S. advisor to the 2nd MTR in an e-mail.
"As a force protection measure, armoring the 2nd MTR's vehicles has already saved the lives of soldiers on four different occasions when the MTR's vehicles were ambushed by enemy forces (both IED and small arms fire,)" Motes wrote in an e-mail.
He added, "Providing armored protection for the Iraqi soldiers is a key element in building up their confidence. In addition, this helps pave the way for securing the departure of U.S. forces from Iraq."
The 145th's performance is further exemplified by the success of their team at Camp Charlie, where a team of less than 10 individuals provides support to coalition troops from 9 countries. More than half of the Coalition vehicles were deadlined, or not mission capable when the 145th team arrived in June. Since then, the team has given classes on emergency recovery, preventative maintenance and driver's training for humvees.
Sgt. Josue Carrasquillo, the Camp Charlie maintenance support team leader, said the classes have had a noticeable impact on the way other Coalition members treat their vehicles.
"They put more care into their equipment," Carrasquillo said.
Combat Support Center Scania, a small installation that most often serves as a stop for combat logistics patrols moving from Kuwait to Baghdad, is another post that demands hard work. It is not uncommon for the maintenance team to be working on damaged vehicles at 4 a.m.
"Every major convoy that comes through here, we take care of," said Spc. Eddie Figueron, a mechanic for the 145th.
As usual, the 145th troops at Scania have been on top of their game. In July, a combat logistics patrol came in with six gun trucks that could not get up to speed, going about 35 miles an hour. The vehicles rolled in at 9:30 a.m. The mechanics discovered there was something wrong with the transmission wiring and had the vehicles ready to go again by midnight.
"They were excellent," said Sgt. 1st Class Angel Huertas, an advisor to the Iraqi 2nd Motorized Transportation Company, who brings vehicles to the 145th team in Scania when they require maintenance. "Every time we have a vehicle that breaks down, we bring it hereâ?¦. We've been here eight months and all I have to say are positive comments."
Zizolfo credits the success of the unit to the skill of his troops.
"One of the competencies of a National Guard unit is that some of our Soldiers have been mechanics for 10, 15 years," Zizolfo said. "We've been able to save a lot of money in repair parts, but also time, [which] ... in a combat zone environment, is more important than money."

• Date Taken: 11.25.2005
• Date Posted: 11.25.2005 05:34
• Story ID: 3848
• Location: TALLIL AIR BASE, IQ