Courtesy Photo | Pvt. Carlos Torres, a mechanic with Company A, 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment,...... read more read more
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Story by: Spc. William K. Ermatinger
BAGHDAD – When Infantrymen with 1st “Vanguard” Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center need to mount up and roll out on missions, they expect their vehicles to keep up.
Ensuring that those vehicles perform to as high a standard as the Soldiers riding in them is the job of Sgt. Jose Nina-Quispe, the mechanic shop foreman with Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C and a Miami native.
“Our mission is to maintain all the vehicles to standard so the infantrymen can [perform] their patrols in conjunction with the Iraqi Army,” said Nina-Quispe.
Feb. 14, a routine maintenance day for a 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C sees tactical vehicles lined up outside the mechanic's garage with engines running and soldiers standing alongside, waiting for Nina-Quispe's crew to perform inspections and make any necessary repairs.
Pvt. Carlos Torres, a mechanic with 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C and a San Jose, Calif., native, described the equipment he uses to get the job done.
“The tools we use are part of the Forward Repair System—[the acronym of which is] pronounced ‘fresh’—which is a full kit [with] anything you could need,” said Torres.
The FRS is a complete mechanic shop that is able to be moved to where repairs are needed. Included in the FRS are air tools, an electrical diagnostic system, a five-ton crane for lifts and a wide selection of hand tools.
Being well-equipped doesn't mean much without advanced training, said Torres. Each mechanic is constantly learning new skills while maintaining their current skills through ongoing training. Most training comes from hands-on experience, but can also come from classroom learning.
Torres just finished a weeklong class on repairing the RG-31 medium mine protected vehicle.
“The class covered [how to perform] a full overhaul of the vehicle,” said Torres. “We learned how to replace different parts from the fuel system, the electrical system, censors, and other different parts.”
All the equipment and training prepares the crew for the unexpected.
“We have to manage our time and work with the different schedules to meet mission requirements,” said Nina-Quispe. “Many times we work late, sometimes we do extra work, and we always have to compensate for lost time.”
Vehicles breaking, parts on order and, repairs taking longer than expected are just some of the challenges the mechanics face.
“This job isn’t easy, but I love it, [and] I just get up every morning and go,” said Torres.
The team leans on one another to help them maintain focus while sometimes working long hours.
“Our team has been supporting each other through this deployment, and we have become a tight group,” said Torres.
When time permits and the mechanics are not under the hood, they work on improving themselves. During work and outside of work, Nina-Quispe is helping his team improve.
“I work with my soldiers, work out with them, counsel them and try to share my knowledge and experiences with them,” he said.
“We just keep the vehicles operational for the guys that need to go outside the wire,” said Torres. “We keep them running so that everyone can return home safe.
| Date Taken: | 02.15.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2011 06:18 |
| Story ID: | 65976 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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