Leaders' maintenance course

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Mary Junell | 1st Lt. Nicole Ebert, of Kewaskum, Wis., with Company C, 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, checks the fluids on a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle during the hands on portion of a preventive maintenance checks and services class, at Forward Operating Base Falcon, Dec. 5.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

12.05.2009

Story by Sgt. Mary Junell  

30th Armored Brigade Combat Team

BAGHDAD -- Many Soldiers have heard the phrase "complacency kills," especially when it comes to tasks like vehicle maintenance.

"As we near the end of our tour, we find ourselves slipping in some areas of performance," said Lt. Colonel Bernie Williford, battalion commander for the 230th Brigade Support Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team. "Maintenance is one area that starts to slip because quite frankly most people don't enjoy doing it."

Williford, of Burgaw N.C., taught a preventive maintenance and checks services class at Forward Operating Base Falcon to the leaders of the 230th BSB, Dec. 5, as a way to combat the complacency.

The class included company commanders, platoon leaders, and senior non-commissioned officers. Williford started with a brief over-view of conducting a proper PMCS and how to fill out the paperwork involved.

In small groups they had to complete a monthly, by the book, PMCS on a vehicle used by their company.

For several, this also meant greasing the wench cable on the front of the vehicle.

"I've never had to do the cable before," said Capt. Tim Smith, of Matthews, N.C., "so this is a first for me."

Smith, the company commander for the Convoy Security Company, and other Soldiers spent almost an hour unwinding, cleaning, greasing, and rewinding the wench cable on the front of a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle.

On average, each group spent over three hours performing a PMCS on their vehicle. This is part of what Williford wanted to teach the leadership within his battalion; the amount of time it takes to do it right.

"The officers and non-commissioned officers learned some very key points today," said Williford. "They have a better understanding of how long it takes to do maintenance correctly and thoroughly."

It is not every day a lieutenant colonel teaches a maintenance class. Soldiers took this as a sign of Williford's concern for his troops.

"Being willing to instruct the correct procedure for PMCS, coming out to do hands on training, and for [Williford] to stay out here as long as he has, shows he's interested in his Soldiers, and the equipment he is responsible for," said Sgt. Ellis Atkins, of Statesville, N.C.

Williford hopes that the Soldiers will take what they earned from the class, back to their companies.

"By conducting this class with the leaders, it refocuses them on what right looks like and gets them back up to standard," said Williford. "We talk about fighting complacency and by conducting this class, leaders were able to see how it is starting to affect their unit's maintenance status."

He also hopes this class will help keep Soldiers from having to deal with maintenance issues when on the road in Iraq.

"This is just one more area that if we maintain our standards, doesn't become an off base issue," said Williford. "It really is no fun sitting on the side of the road, hooking up the wrecker to the truck that broke down in Iraq."

• Date Taken: 12.05.2009
• Date Posted: 12.07.2009 05:34
• Story ID: 42396
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ