Joint maintenance

Photo By Master Sgt. David Largent | Kuwait national guardsmen and Master Sgt. Mark E. Beyl listen as Staff Sgt. Shawn M. Kuykendall (wearing coveralls), mechanic, and Sgt. Martin J. Marquez, mechanic, both of A. Company, 960th Brigade Support Battalion, 115th FiB, talk through the step by step process of conducting Preventative Maintenance, Checks and Services as Staff Sgt. Zachary West, Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 960th BSB follows along in the manual to ensure no steps are missed.  

02.08.2010

Story by Master Sgt. David Largent 

Joint Force Headquarters - Wyoming National Guard

CAMP VIRGINIA, Kuwait - Maintenance personnel from Kuwait national guard and 115th Fires Brigade, met at Camp Virginia, Kuwait, mid October for a seminar designed to learn and share ideas with each other about vehicle maintenance processes and procedures.

Seeing how other units run their maintenance program helps both units streamline and improve their own processes.

The Kuwaitis brought about 30 Soldiers to participate in the joint training which included both classroom and a hands on portion. Chief Warrant Officer 2 Timothy E. Chamberlain and Master Sgt. Mark E. Beyl from Headquarters, Headquarters Battery, 115th FiB taught the classroom portion, and maintenance section Soldiers from the 2-300th Field Artillery Battalion, a Wyoming unit assigned to the 115th FiB, conducted the hands on training.

Instructors discussed the function of software used to track repairs, the roles of vehicle operators, maintenance supervisors and personnel, and ordering and stocking spare parts.

After the classroom portion the participants headed to a maintenance tent where they viewed maintenance operations being conducted on Humvees and MRAPs.

It wasn't just the vehicles that caught the Kuwaitis attention.

Col. Hashem Al-Rafee, commander, Combat Service Support, Kuwait National Guard, walked through the 100 degree maintenance tent with a slight breeze blowing through it, observing as the mechanics described their maintenance process, checked out the temporary floor and eyed the tent itself.

"I think I need to check into getting one of these tents ... maybe a little smaller one," said Al-Rafee. "I'm amazed with the conditions here and how you keep it so clean. I want my Soldiers to see how clean it is and see how professional you are," he added.

According to Al-Rafee, the Kuwaiti humvees are configured differently than the ones U.S. Soldiers use because the missions are different.

"Well I talked to the Kuwaiti leadership; they told me that I gave them exactly what they wanted. They wanted to mainly focus on PMCS and supervisory PMCS. Also the trouble of getting parts, and our STAMIS system," said Beyl.

"It is very important; we believe the U.S. Army, a very big Army, has a lot of experience on how to maintain their equipment, especially during an operation. That is what we need to know, how they maintain their equipment during peacetime and during combat operations," said Al-Rafee.

• Date Taken: 02.08.2010
• Date Posted: 02.08.2010 02:19
• Story ID: 45066