Maintenance section keeps vehicles out of motor pool, on roads

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Clifford Summers, a petroleum supply specialist with the 941st Transportation Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command and a Saint George, S.C., native, straps tires to a crate on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, July 1. (U.S Army photo by Spc. Crystal Williams)  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

06.28.2011

Courtesy Story

4th Sustainment Brigade

Story by: Spc. Crystal Williams
4th Sustainment Brigade

CONTIENGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - Soldiers with the 941st Transportation Company, 749th Combat Support Sustainment Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command make sure vehicles are ready for missions on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.

Maintenance is up to the challenge to maintain all aspects of the motor pool. Whether it is changing a tire, fixing an engine, or even changing a valve for air; maintenance gets the job done. With a non-stop schedule, vehicles must remain ready for the road in order to fulfill the demands of the mission.

“We work hard to make sure vehicles are ready for missions. Even though we work long hours, our best foot is put forward to ensure the vehicles are safe to drive,” said Spc. Matthew Norton, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 941st Trans. Company, and a Mount Pleasant, S.C., native.

The motor pool is organized with three bays and an administration office that prints dispatches for vehicles to leave the motor pool.

“I print out dispatches for all vehicles leaving the motor pool,” said Spc. Shameka Conyers, an automated logistics specialist with the 941st Trans. Company and a Mount Pleasant, S.C., native. “I aim for accuracy and thoroughness in my job. I take my job seriously because these vehicles have to go outside the wire.”

There are a variety of aspects to go along with maintenance. Soldiers don’t waste any time correcting what they have control over. The hours vary for the motor pool.

“The latest we have ever stayed was until 1 a.m.,” said Spc. Elgen Collier, a petroleum supply specialist with the 941st Trans. Company and a Griffin, Ga., native.

Even though the soldiers are well trained in their job-field, there is some training that can only be learned on deployment. Whether it’s the smallest problem or a mind boggling issue, experience will take you a long way in maintenance, especially because vehicles are so complex.

“I have been in the Army for a long time, [and] I have been to a lot of schools for maintenance, but I have learned vehicles through experience and gaining knowledge from others,” said Sgt. Michael Waring, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with the 941st Trans. Company, and a Charleston, S.C., native. “I show lower enlisted soldiers what I know so they can take it with them where ever they go in maintenance.”

• Date Taken: 06.28.2011
• Date Posted: 07.11.2011 07:41
• Story ID: 73533
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ