Photo By Spc. Ben Washburn | Pfc. Steven Gordon, of Orlando, Fla., and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4-1...... read more read more
By Cpl. Benjamin Washburn
4th Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs
BAGHDAD – When Soldiers get into their vehicles there should be no question whether or not it will start. They know the turret works properly, the gears will shift correctly, and their vehicle is fully mission-capable. What they might not know is that there are Soldiers who work around the clock to make sure that's the case.
The soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, are some of these Soldiers. In the event that a vehicle does go down, they are always there to assist and get that vehicle back in the fight.
"Our mission out here in the motor pool is to give assistance to all of the supporting units; Iron Claw, Brigade, HHC, Alpha, Bravo, Charlie (companies), and giving them maintenance support," said Spc. Jairus Ruff, a Team Leader with HHC.
The three year Army veteran, who is on his first deployment, said that there is no schedule for when a vehicle will break down, even with preventive maintenance.
"Trucks or vehicles break not necessarily at the best time for you, but you just have to suck it up and drive on with the mission," Ruff said.
Pfc. Steven Gordon, a mechanic from Orlando, Fla., concurred; emphasizing it could be any hour of the day when you have to get a vehicle up and running.
"Here it's an ongoing process, seven days a week. You've got to make sure the vehicles are ready to go, so you're up all times of the night," the two-year Army veteran said.
Working long hours throughout the night aren't the only challenges that deployment brings these Soldiers.
"Of course there's a higher stress level," Ruff said. "Working around people that you may not know that well for an extended period of time may be difficult. You have to get used to the way they operate, they have to get used to the way you operate."
When people spend a lot of time together, eventually strong bonds are formed. That's exactly the case for the Soldiers of the motor pool. Gordon likens his fellow mechanics to a family.
"I wouldn't be any other place than right here with the people I'm working with. It's like family, they're like my brothers and sisters," he said.
Despite the challenges faced, the Soldiers work hard and enjoy their jobs.
"I like being a mechanic, I like what I do. My job is rewarding when a vehicle comes in and I get it fixed and the vehicle rolls back out," Gordon said. "When you're underneath the vehicle, you're kind of in your own little zone; you're just one with the vehicle."
It's that rewarding feeling that makes it all worthwhile, even when other people don't notice the work these Soldiers do.
"I think maintenance or support in general is underappreciated, but that's just the way it goes," Ruff said. "You don't do this job for the recognition, you do it because you enjoy it."
So, the Soldiers of the motor pool drive on to accomplish their mission without the notoriety that other units get. However, they are no less critical than anyone else, and are an essential asset that allows others to complete their mission.
"Without us a lot of the missions, essential movement, even communications would not be accomplished," Ruff said.
| Date Taken: | 01.02.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.02.2008 17:58 |
| Story ID: | 15139 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 169 |
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