Vehicle maintainers keep it rolling

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Mindy Bloem
  • 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq (AFNS) --  "If it has four wheels and rolls, we fix it." That's how the shop foreman for the 506th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron here refers to the job duties of a vehicle maintainer.

"We get vehicles in quite frequently because they're being used so frequently on missions," said Staff Sgt. Keith Bullard, a 506th ELRS vehicle mechanic. "We fix whatever is wrong and get them out as fast as we can. I like the sense of accomplishment I get when I repair a vehicle, especially the (mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles).

Sergeant Bullard didn't always feel so keen on repairing MRAPs.

"When I first got here, they told me I was going to be in charge of fixing the MRAPs," he recalled. "I had never worked on an MRAP before being deployed here. I was overwhelmed with it at first because I hadn't done it."

It wasn't long before Sergeant Bullard took the new job challenge and turned it into something positive.

"I just had to figure out how to work on them," he said. "I just looked them up in our technical manuals and saw what needed to be done on a consistent basis. We have so many that come in that it's second nature to me. It took me a few weeks to get it down, but now I love working on MRAPs."

Because MRAPs are used frequently on security missions here, the vehicle maintainers deal with them often. However, MRAPs aren't the only vehicles these maintainers have to repair. They have a hand in repairing just about any mission essential vehicle on base, including Humvees, forklifts, cargo loaders, dodge pickups, ambulances and fire trucks. 

"Every vehicle has to have scheduled maintenance on it every so many months," Sergeant Bullard said. "A lot of times, all you're really doing is changing oil or making sure nothing is leaking or broken. That part gets tedious when you're doing the same thing over and over again. You have to make sure you're following the checklist, and even though there are many shortcuts that can be made, it's important to keep safety in mind. There are other people's lives on the line when they're driving these vehicles, and if you take shortcuts, you're putting them at risk."

In addition, Sergeant Bullard points out there are checklists in the vehicles that vehicle operators are responsible for.

"Operator maintenance is supposed to be done daily, but sometimes gets overlooked because people don't want to do it or they don't know they have to do it, and that makes it tougher on us when they bring in the vehicles. They may bring it in for one thing, but we'll find lots of other things wrong with it that they might not have known about."

For the most part, Sergeant Bullard said he likes his job, and much of that has to do with the shop's morale and camaraderie.

"I like working with the crew here," he said. "You have a lot more teamwork going on in the deployed location because it's a lot busier. The vehicles have to go out a lot faster because of the mission, and that increases the feeling of teamwork."

Tech. Sgt. Todd Schafer, the 506th ELRS shop foreman, attributed high morale and teamwork to his shop's mission success.

"I live by the philosophy, 'Big bubbles, no troubles,'" he said. He explained, if your people are happy in their environment, the rest takes care of itself.

"We have a lot of young troops over here on their first deployment," Sergeant Schafer said. "There is more supervision involved. I have a couple other NCOs who have deployed before this. They are engaged with the young guys, making sure they're doing things right, but also making sure they're mental state is right. It's tough being away from your spouse for the first time for any length of time, so it's about teaching them how to work in a different environment and making do with what they have. That and just making sure everyone is having fun."

Sergeant Schafer said seeing everyone return from a mission safely is what his maintainers are striving for.

"We have to make sure we're focused when we're fixing a vehicle, and not going about it lackadaisically. We want to get a good product to our customer. We push them in and drive them out, and ultimately, we want to make sure our guys come back."