Soldiers fix everything from clothes to vehicles

Photo By Sgt. Jason Mikeworth | Staff Sgt. Jaime Baez, an electrician with the 597th Quartermaster Company at Camp Taqqadum, works to build shelving for the unit's motorpool. "He fixes everything," Staff. Sgt. Mario Rentero, the unit's motor sergeant, said of Baez.  

11.25.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

The Soldiers of the 597th Quartermaster Company can fix a vehicle, fix clothing and fix a hot meal.
Whether the mission is laundry services and clothing repair or shower facilities and food preparation, the 597th is able to tackle the challenge.
"We're a field services unit," said Capt. Carlos Ramirez, commander of the 597th. "We establish our facilities on a forward operating base, find out who needs it and basically introduce and sell our product."
That product is now being 'sold" at five different FOBs, including Camp Fallujah, Camp Corregidor, Camp Scandaria and Camp Dogwood.
Giving a lift to servicemembers is a perk of the job for the 597th.
"It's a very important mission because it keeps Soldier's morale up," Ramirez said. "A fresh uniform to wear and a hot shower to take everyday is a good thing."
The 597th has exceeded the Army standard for laundry turn-around times of 48 to 72 hours, completing their mission with a 24 hour turn-around.
"The biggest challenges have been an overwhelming amount of laundry, and being able to cope with that while being short on personnel," Ramirez said.
The unit works in shifts to finish each project on time using the new Laundry Advanced System (LADS).
"The machines we have are very temperamental," Ramirez said. "It doesn't work real well in very hot or very cold weather."
Repairing the LADS can be tricky, Ramirez said, because the brand new system doesn't have a published parts manual, making it difficult to get the replacement items they need.
The mission doesn't stop at laundry. The 597th also provides cooks for the new dinning facility at Camp Taqqadum that was completed about a month ago.
"Before they built it, we were cooking in a trailer," said Spc. Omar Rosado, a cook with the 597th. "It was the first time I saw that type of trailer."
Rosado said it was a lot of work to get food ready in the trailer, especially in the summer months.
"It was close to 200 degrees in there," he said. "We had a lot of heat casualties."
On his second tour in Iraq, Rosado said things are getting a lot better. He acknowledged that sometimes being a cook is considered one of the hardest jobs in the Army.
"Before, yeah, it was hard," Rosado said. "Now, with the civilians working at the new DFAC, it's the best job in the world. I can't complain."
With their services covering five different FOBs, the 597th needs to work hard to keep their vehicles running to support their missions. The task of keeping things rolling falls to Staff. Sgt. Mario Rentero, the unit's motor sergeant, and his team of mechanics.
"The main problem we have is the fuel," Rentero said. "It's not the same as what we use in the States."
Rentero said the JP8 fuel used in Iraq causes problems for the fuel injectors and the fuel pumps of his vehicles that he hadn't faced using diesel fuel back home.
"We mix a little oil with the fuel to make it more easy to run the vehicles," he said.
Rentero said he's proud of the job his section has been doing for the 597th. He said he works hard to keep his team motivated.
"It's not always easy because some of them are young, they need someone beside them," Rentero said. "I'm the first to put my feet on the ground, so they'll follow me everywhere I go."

• Date Taken: 11.25.2005
• Date Posted: 11.25.2005 06:46
• Story ID: 3852