Coalition forces team up for vehicle training

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Darrell Habisch
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
ALI BASE, Iraq (AFNS) --  Four Airmen from the 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Management Flight here spent four days training Iraqi army members on basic maintenance procedures in mid-February at Camp Ur, Iraq.

Planning for the training mission began after Tech. Sgt. Scott Preston, a Logistics Military Advisory Team vehicle maintenance adviser, received a request for training from the Iraqis.

Coordinating with the 407th ELRS, Sergeant Preston and Master Sgt. Michael Falkowski, the 407th ELRS Vehicle Management Flight superintendent, designed a four-day training mission.

At Camp Ur, almost 20 Iraqi soldiers attended the daily hands-on classes. Airmen conducted maintenance training covering most of the basics to keep a vehicle on the move.

Airmen worked with the Iraqi soldiers changing tires, cleaning brake pads and taking off calipers, said Staff Sgt. Giles Fish, assigned to the 407th ELRS and deployed from Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark.

"They were very eager to learn," he said. "We showed them how to work through a problem. Without a diagnostic computer, a vehicle mechanic can start at the simplest answer to a problem and work the issue until the vehicle is serviceable again."

Language difficulties are always a major barrier to learning. During this training, it wasn't the spoken, but rather the written word that became almost insurmountable. All the technical specifications in repair manuals and calibration tools are in English.

Although the Iraqi soldiers were very interested in learning how to use a diagnostic computer, "it's in English, so that really doesn't help them too much," Sergeant Fish said. "This experience really helped me to see the big picture. We're here to help them run their own country and I was a part of that."

The team lead was Tech. Sgt. Damien Moody, the 407th ELRS NCO in charge of the customer service center and deployed from Eglin AFB, Fla.

He explained that Iraqi soldiers had varying degrees of experience so the Airmen limited the training to the basics of common, general purpose vehicles, such as trucks, busses and smaller commercial vehicles.

"We stressed preventative and safety maintenance," Sergeant Moody said. That meant nothing too in-depth; just what to look for when certain problems crop up, "especially in rough terrain like here."

Safety was a big issue during the training. Wearing rings and jewelry around machinery just doesn't mix, Sergeant Moody said. Safety glasses were mandatory and the Airmen demonstrated how to properly chalk and lift vehicles. 

"Sometimes during the class we focus on safety," said Iraqi Warrant Officer Quata Tewher, the senior mechanical chief." Before, we didn't know or pay attention."

The Iraqi mechanics are responsible for the first and second tier of maintenance according to Warrant Officer Tewher.

"Some of the students are drivers so this is very good information for them," he commented.

Oil leaks, spark plugs, basic tune-ups were all subjects covered in the classroom and hands-on training, said Senior Airman Michael Richardson, a 407th ELRS vehicle mechanic deployed from McChord AFB, Wash.

"I think we made a difference," he said. "This is what we do on a daily basis and I'm glad we could teach them."