CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- Seventeen Afghan National Security Force students graduated from the Generator Mechanic Course at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest here, May 24.
The course took seven training days and included instructors from various units around Regional Command Southwest. It incorporated proper procedures for safety, engine repair, electrical wiring and troubleshooting machinery.
“We emphasize the bases and what we know they will use at their units,” said Staff Sgt. Johnson Joseph, the generator section floor chief and instructor at JSAS, originally of Rosedale, N.Y.
A few of the students, from both the Afghan Border Patrol and Afghan National Army, were familiar with some of the aspects of the mechanical and electrical fields.
“I’ve spent the last 12 years working in a private shop, so I was already familiar with mechanics,” said ANA Staff Sgt. Abdul Qadar, the class’ team leader and honor graduate.
Qadar said the new knowledge he got consisted of wiring and separate power sources. “I’ve spent the last year working with Americans so I could learn more,” he said. “I’m sure I’ve learned enough and I have enough confidence from this course to go back to my unit and teach others.”
The students who did not have any background or prior experience still picked up the fundamentals of the course quickly.
“The students were comprehending and asking a lot of questions,” said Lance Cpl. Matthew Wheeler, a basic electrician and instructor at JSAS. “The practical application definitely made a difference in helping them understand.”
Wheeler explained that when test day came, the students all passed with flying colors. They handled the troubleshooting situations especially well.
The graduation was a small, efficient affair, and afterward, as the students and instructors congratulated one another, it was obvious bonds had been formed in the short time they spent together.
“The more we were around each other, the more [the students] opened up,” said Wheeler, of Springfield, Ohio. “They showed us respect, and we showed them respect.”
The graduates will now return to their respective units and implement the fundamentals they learned, as well as teach their fellow servicemembers how to conduct generator maintenance.