Mechanics keep wheels greased in Paktika Province

Photo By Staff Sgt. Timothy Sander | Spc. Joel Totherow, a mechanic for Fox Company, 287 Infantry Regiment uses a pry-bar to position a transmission into a humvee.  

ORGUN, AFGHANISTAN

06.01.2006

Courtesy Story

345th Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ORGUN-E, Afghanistan " "I don't believe in band-aids; I expect my mechanics to fix the problem," said Army 1st Lt. Raymond R. Longoria, maintenance platoon leader for Fox Company, 287 Infantry Regiment from Fort Drum, N.Y.

Longoria and his team of 37 Soldiers are responsible for maintaining everything from vehicles to weapons for the entire Regional Command of Eastern Afghanistan.

The average work day for these wrench-turning warriors begins at 5:30 a.m. and ends around 7:30 p.m., said Longoria. "However," he adds, "If a generator goes down or they need a vehicle ready for a mission the next day, these guys will get under the hood and work all night to get that vehicle ready."

Despite the harsh environmental conditions and the long work hours, morale in Fox Company is extremely high.

"I personally have not heard the Soldiers complain at all," said Longoria. "The troops here are just fantastic; if you give them a tasking they knock it out!"

Spc. Joel Totherow, a mechanic in Fox Company, explains why he enjoys his job.

"I love working on trucks. When I'm fixing these things I'm happy," said Totherow.

Longoria says he is lucky to have a team that works so well together. "These Soldiers trained really hard together for the last year to come out here and do this mission," he said. "Now that they're here, they work together, they play together and they live together, so they've built a pretty tight-knit group."

"The platoon is really close; we take care of each other," said Pfc. Janet Hughes, weapons specialist for Fox Company.

Although the majority of the mechanic's duties are performed within the safe confines of the base, they realize they are still at risk.

"I get scared a lot!" said Hughes. "Sometimes you hear all this gun-fire and you may not know it's outgoing."

"After the attackâ?¦" Hughes voice trailed off as she recalled the recent rocket attack on their small base. "I guess I got a little complacent before the attack and now it frightens me," she said.

When it comes to the pride of serving her country, Hughes puts her fears on the back burner.

"If we can make this place better for someone else, why not?" said Hughes.

As one vehicle rolls out of the three-bay garage another prepares to roll in. The mechanics from Fox Company have a busy and important job for the rest of their time here, keeping the vehicles in the fight.

• Date Taken: 06.01.2006
• Date Posted: 06.01.2006 09:34
• Story ID: 6618
• Location: ORGUN, AF