Story, Photos by Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp
MNC-I PAO
ARMOR
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq -- The Army's military police force has recently fielded a highly- mobile vehicle to their supply of convoy operation equipment for use throughout the Iraq theater; and the MPs are learning the ins and outs of the vehicle from the people who know it best - the manufacturers.
The M1117 Armored Security Vehicle is a four-wheeled vehicle with a mounted .50 caliber machine gun that has been in production for the Army since 2000. In order for Soldiers to be familiar with and maintain the ASV, the manufacturer, New Orleans based Textron Systems, is supplying the Army with representatives in Iraq to train Soldiers on maintenance, repair and operations.
One of the representatives, Brian D. Perkins, a 15-year Textron employee from Picayune, Miss., has spent the majority of his last year in Iraq training troops on the all aspects of the M1117.
Part of Perkins" job is to go out in the field and work on the ASV, but he said he is here to support the Army units that have these vehicles. "I provide them with maintenance advice as a subject matter expert," Perkins said.
Perkins and his staff offer the MPs courses on maintenance and operations of the ASV while they are here in Iraq. Perkins said each course is part classroom, part hands- on.
Speaking of the 40-hour operator's course, Perkins said, "We familiarize the operator on preventative maintenance checks and services procedures; driving the vehicle; bore sighting the weapons, and teaching the weapons systems and how they work. Every time we deliver to new operators, we give the operator's course."
Perkins said the maintenance course is more comprehensive, and most of that means getting inside the vehicle.
"The maintenance course is an 80-hour course, and two-thirds of that is hands-on," Perkins said. "We train the mechanics on all levels of maintenance.
"We'll teach the Soldiers how to pull the power packs, trouble shoot the hydraulic lines, fix electrical problems and pull the turrets," Perkins said. "The Soldiers are taught where the locations of all the different things are on the engine and how to fix them.
"Everything we can give the Soldiers to help them down the road we teach them," he said.
Sgt. Mark J. Meunier, vehicle commander and MP, 940th MP Company, 503rd MP Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C, recently had some trouble with his ASV and had to see Perkins for repairs.
"We blew the o-ring on the wheel solenoid," Meunier said. "Over time these things just give out and the Textron representatives are the ones who help us out. They know everything about these vehicles."
Meunier and his fellow crewmembers were on their way from Forward Operating Base Diwaniyah to Camp Liberty to take the maintenance course when a problem happened before they made the trip. The vehicle made it there and Meunier and crew were able to get their hands dirty before the class even started.
Along with Sgt. Anthony Faul and Spc. Ashley N. Walters, both MPs with the 940th, Meunier and Perkins worked together using wrenches, jacks and good-ole elbow grease to fix the problem. With Perkins supervising and offering a hand or advice when needed, the o-ring was replaced within a couple hours.
Faul said "(Perkins) knows all about the vehicle, so he was able to teach us a lot. We'll be here for a week though, so they'll show us a lot more."
Meunier, Faul and Walters are able to then take the knowledge they learn at the course and turn around to teach their mechanics how to fix the ASV.
"Our mechanics don't know anything about the vehicle because it is new to us," Faul said. "So we'll show them everything that he teaches us."
The M1117 is a vehicle that Perkins said he is proud to work with, and he is happy to pass on his knowledge of the ASV to the Soldiers in Iraq.
"The Soldiers have been very receptive and are eager to learn," Perkins said. They want to know about their equipment, and I'm more than willing to teach them. They want to keep their equipment going because they're outside the wire with it, and they don't want to break down. I can't really blame them."
| Date Taken: | 04.08.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 04.08.2005 15:49 |
| Story ID: | 1543 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 20 |
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