Maintenance Soldiers keep fight going strong

Photo By Master Sgt. Warren Wright | Army Cpl. Ryan E. Beattie, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute and Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, works on a motor that is responsible for opening and closing the rear hatch on a MaxxPro Dash truck Aug. 13, 2009, at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan. Light wheeled vehicle mechanics work on a wide range of vehicles that are used to transport Soldier's and supplies all over Afghanistan.  

KHOST, AFGHANISTAN

08.13.2009

Story by Sgt. Warren Wright 

5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment   

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan — Combat Soldiers on the ground in Afghanistan bring the fight to the enemy every day. They fight in some of the most extreme conditions Afghanistan has to offer. However, operating in those extreme conditions can play havoc on their equipment. That's where the paratroopers from Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute and Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division come in. Battery G, or Golf Battery, is responsible for ensuring that units in the field have the equipment and vehicles necessary to complete their mission.

Vehicles break down all the time, whether in a garrison environment or in a combat zone, and they need to be fixed in a timely manner, said Spc. Andres Campoverde, a power generation and equipment repairer from Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute and Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

"We try to get everything to the guys on the front line as soon as possible," added Campoverde.

Without the maintainers back in the rear, the guys on the front lines would be broke down on the side of the road, said Cpl. Ryan E. Beattie, a wheeled vehicle mechanic from Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute and Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

"We are a very vital part of the overall mission in Afghanistan," he added.

Units in the outlying areas around FOB Salerno go to Golf Battery for anything from vehicle re-fits, to regularly scheduled maintenance, and generator hook-ups, said 1st Sgt. Stanley McQueen, the first sergeant for Battery G, 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute and Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division.

Even though at times, the work that Golf Battery does seem to get overwhelming, the Soldiers of Golf Battery are still able to do their job, added McQueen.

"The moral is high among the Soldiers, and they're doing what they need to do to accomplish the mission," said McQueen.

Vehicle and generator maintenance isn't the only thing that Golf Battery has to offer the units on the front lines.

One of the most important things that Golf Battery has to offer is providing supplies to the various units that are in Golf Battery's area of responsibility, said McQueen.

Golf Battery routinely goes out on combat logistical patrols to supply units in the field anything they need from food to water to ammunition, said McQueen.

"We're the ones who provide the items that are needed to the COPs (Combat Outposts) and FOBs," McQueen added.

The best part about the job for most Soldiers in Golf Battery is the knowledge that the job is well done, and the Soldiers in the field are taken care of, said Campoverde.

"Just getting that feeling is pretty good," he added.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2009
• Date Posted: 09.28.2009 15:40
• Story ID: 39384
• Location: KHOST, AF