Photo By Dustin Senger | Time Beam, wheel mechanic from Ruston, Wash., lays floor board with Leo Nacario, wheel...... read more read more
CAMP AS SAYLIYAH, Qatar – General Dynamics Land Systems mechanics, welders and supply specialists proudly watched the 200th vehicle roll out of the Stryker repair facility at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, March 14. Government officials inspected and approved the restoration procedures on March 11. Stryker MCV-0161-05 B, a Mortar Carrier Vehicle variant, will return to protecting U.S. Central Command war fighters in Iraq.
"Two hundred vehicles have exited this building," said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jerry Jones, from Hattiesburg, Miss., while inside the repair facility. "That number represents 168 battle damage repairs and 32 vehicle resets." Jones is the 1st Battalion 401st Army Field Support Brigade commander. "The difference between a vehicle coming in and going out is truly amazing – this is one of our best maintenance facilities in the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. When Soldiers receive a repaired Stryker from Qatar, they think it's brand new."
The Stryker is a versatile eight-wheeled armored vehicle. Since 2003, troops in Operation Iraqi Freedom have depended on them for protection in combat. Currently, eight variants are employed: infantry carrier (most common), mortar carrier, medical evacuation, engineer support, fire support, command, reconnaissance, and anti-tank guided missile vehicles.
"This is a tough little vehicle," said Rick Hunt, from Newark, Ohio. "It was designed to supplement tanks on the battlefield." Hunt is the GDLS site manager at the Qatar repair facility. "Some were skeptical of the Stryker at first, including me, but it continues to prove itself in battle." Hunt started working with Stryker units five years ago; previously, he spent twelve years assigned to M1 Abrams battle tank programs.
In April 2005, the Qatar site opened its doors to repairing heavily damaged Strykers. In December 2008, the facility was adjusted to accommodate a growing need for restoring, or "resetting," equipment suffering from years of abuse and numerous unit rotations. This shift in focus increased vehicle turnover tempos. Repair teams have roughly a month to mend battle damage, but only 10 days for resets.
"As soon as one Stryker is finished, another one gets started," said Hunt. "We've never missed an inspection quota. In fact, right now, we're one ahead. Each team feels ownership in meeting their vehicle's completion deadline because we put one crew on one vehicle, instead of creating individual stations for each part of the repair process." According to Hunt, assigning one team per vehicle also encourages an atmosphere for cross-training in different areas. Everyone has a chance to learn about each station.
"Strykers get beat up out there and we take a lot of pride in fixing them," said Carlton Williams, from Copperas Cove, Texas. Williams is a GDLS production control supervisor at the Qatar repair facility. "Everyone depends on each other throughout the process – mechanics, supply clerks, welders – if one fails, we all fail. We have one mission here: repair and return Strykers as soon as possible."
| Date Taken: | 03.14.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 03.14.2009 11:46 |
| Story ID: | 31116 |
| Location: | CAMP AS SALIYAH, QA |
| Web Views: | 751 |
| Downloads: | 610 |
This work, Qatar site repairs 200th Stryker, by Dustin Senger, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
