Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Taresha Hill | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii- Wheeled vehicle mechanics from the 8th Military Police...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii ─ Nearly a dozen wheeled vehicle mechanics from throughout the 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command participated in a two-week course instructed by Oshkosh Defense March 29- April 7, here.
The two-week course is designed to provide the mechanics with a practical understanding of the maintenance requirements of the Long Term Armored Strategy (LTAS) and Heavy Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT), two systems built by Oshkosh Defense. Bringing subject matter experts to Hawaii, such as Oshkosh Defense, allows for more mechanics within the brigade to train, yielding a greater capacity of trained maintenance personnel at one time.
“Nobody in the military knows more than the guy who makes the truck,” said Staff Sgt. Robert Prindle, a mechanic with 71st Chemical Company, 303rd Ordnance Disposal Battalion (EOD). “So having someone come here that actually knows what they’re talking about, helps us a lot more than reading a power point slide.”
With only 13 weeks of advanced individual training (A.I.T.) under their belts, many of the mechanics must learn about additional systems with on-the-job training once they reach their units. Some of these additional systems include the electrical components found in the Army’s tactical vehicles such as the LTAS and HEMTT.
“After talking to the maintenance sections and analyzing past maintenance trends, it was determined that more training was needed in order to properly diagnose and troubleshoot these two systems,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jose A. Yañez, the brigade’s senior ordnance ground maintenance warrant officer. “These two vehicles systems were the ones with the most faults and which required extensive troubleshooting.”
“Being in Hawaii we have a lot of issues with the electrical systems because of the humidity and rain,” Prindle clarified about the problems he and his mechanics often encountered. “About 85 percent of the class was over the electrical systems, so it’s going to better enhance our capabilities here.”
After receiving the 80 hours of classroom and hands-on training, the mechanics will be certified on the LTAS and HEMTT systems and be ready to pass on their knowledge to their fellow mechanics.
“The mechanics that were trained will take all this new information and troubleshooting techniques that they have learned and teach it down to their maintenance personnel, which will greatly enhance their unit’s maintenance and readiness posture,” said Yañez.
Prindle said he was very impressed with the instructor and that he appreciated the additional skills he gained by taking the class.
“It was a great class and I definitely recommend it to all of the other motor pools in the area,” said Prindle.
He added, “We normally run at a 91 percent readiness rate, this will more than likely get us up to a 99 percent readiness rate.”
| Date Taken: | 04.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 04.21.2017 15:37 |
| Story ID: | 231176 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 32 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 8th MP’s wheeled vehicle mechanics improve mission readiness, enhance skills, by SFC Taresha Hill, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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