Bravo Company soldiers maintain arms and equipment

Photo By Pfc. Zackary Root | Army Spc. Keith Adkinson of Cheyenne, Wyo., a land combat electronic missile repair technician with B Company, 125th Brigade Support Battalion, maintains a M9 pistol Dec. 4 during officer professional development. This particular OPD was intended to showcase B Company's job of field maintenance for the 125th BSB.  

FOWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, AFGHANISTAN

12.04.2011

Story by Pfc. Zackary Root 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Public Affairs

FOWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan — Maintenance is a simple concept that saves life and is ingrained in soldier’s from day one.

Maintenance is a necessary part of war, mainly because soldiers rely heavily on their equipment on a daily basis to perform their duties, on and off the battlefield. Maintenance is fundamental in ensuring that weapons, vehicles and equipment perform as intended.

So when a piece of equipment isn’t working in the 125th Brigade Support Battalion, B Company’s job is to get the items soldiers need functioning properly so they can get back in the fight.

Officers and soldiers from 125th BSB, participated in officer professional development Dec. 4, displaying the different services that B Company, provides.

“The main purpose of today’s training was to share with our BSB counterparts, our capabilities here at Bravo Company,” said Capt. Morris Brown, of Dallas, Texas, B Company commander, 125th Brigade Support Battalion.

“It was a chance for the whole battalion to see what we bring to the fight, how we support the BSB as well as the brigade,” said Brown.

There were stations representing the different tasks that B Company performs in support of the battalion and brigade. The stations were armament, communications and electronics, missile shop, ground support equipment, service and recovery, automotive, and the shop office section. Officers were rotated throughout the different stations getting a small taste of what the soldiers in B Company do to support the war-fighter.

“We had a station for each section, and they also displayed something that they do on a daily basis,” said 1st Lt. Jean’ Shay D. Wright of Ellenwood, Ga., B Company executive officer, 125th Brigade Support Battalion.

While the main mission of B Company soldiers is maintenance, the company also supports base defense here on Forward Operating Base Shank, dedicating almost half of their manpower.

“We also have a base defense mission, causing us to break away forty percent of my unit and still being able to push out maintenance and make it happen,” said Brown.

Another important subject of this particular officer professional development, was getting across the point that the first line of maintenance is at operator level. According to Wright, malfunctioning equipment can put soldiers lives at risk.

“I wanted all the officers to see how important maintenance is to the foundation of our military,” said Wright.

“If we don’t perform preventive maintenance beforehand, it could cause someone to get hurt.”

• Date Taken: 12.04.2011
• Date Posted: 12.11.2011 23:54
• Story ID: 81216
• Location: FOWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, AF