Maintaineers win Army Award for Maintenance Excellence

By Spc. Justin Moeller (101st Airborne)April 23, 2013

Maintaineers win Army Award for Maintenance Excellence
1 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT CAMPBELL, Ky"U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Clark, a maintenance technician, and Sgt. 1st Class Jared Beets, a maintenance control sergeant, with the 801st Brigade Support Battalion "Maintaineers", 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airbor... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Maintaineers win Army Award for Maintenance Excellence
2 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT CAMPBELL, Ky"U.S. Army Spc. Edward Gatewood, left, and Pvt. Courtavious Wingfield, mechanics with Company B, 801st Brigade Support Battalion "Maintaineers", 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, put the tire from a 1083 Medium Tactic... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Maintaineers win Army Award for Maintenance Excellence
3 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT CAMPBELL, Ky"U.S. Army Pfc. Seth A. Eischeid, right, and Pvt. Mario D. Violante, mechanics with Company B, 801st Brigade Support Battalion "Maintaineers", 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, utilize a hoist in preparation to removi... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Maintaineers win Army Award for Maintenance Excellence
4 / 4 Show Caption + Hide Caption – FORT CAMPBELL, Ky"U.S. Army Spc. Edward Gatewood, left, and Pvt. Courtavious Wingfield, mechanics with Company B, 801st Brigade Support Battalion "Maintaineers", 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, hand tighten the lug nuts of a 1083 Me... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky--In 1982, the Department of the Army established the Army Award for Maintenance Excellence as a way to recognize exceptional accomplishments and initiatives in maintenance and to provide added incentive through competition to small, medium and large units.

Soldiers with Company B "Bulldawg", 801st Brigade Support Battalion "Maintaineers", 4th Brigade Combat Team "Currahee", 101st Airborne Division, received an award for being the 1st runner-up in the AAME competition at the Forces Command level, presented by Brig. Gen. Mark R. Stammer, acting commander of the 101st Abn. Div., on April 22, 2013 at the 101st Abn. Div. Headquarters, Fort Campbell, Ky.

"I am extremely proud of the Soldiers and leaders of B Company, 801st for just competing in the competition, let alone winning at the Division and placing runner-up at the FORSCOM levels of competition," said Lt. Col. Gavin A. Lawrence, commander of the 801st BSB, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. "I think what put B Company among the elite maintenance units in FORSCOM, was their attention to detail with regard to executing maintenance procedures and the innovative maintenance training they conducted throughout the brigade's preparation for deployment."

Maintaining excellence and receiving recognition in the face of a deployment generated a feeling of pride and gratitude.

"It's a very big honor; we have put a lot of work behind this," expressed Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jeremy Clark, a maintenance technician with 801st BSB, 4th BCT, 101st Abn. Div. "Each unit that I have been in, throughout my career, has competed in this competition and to get this far into it and receive the FORSCOM runner-up is just a really high honor."

The evaluation procedures for the AAME consist of a 20-page narrative of the battalion's maintenance management program followed by on-site assessments of the unit's maintenance standard operating procedures, training, quality control and resource management programs.

"The company did a number of specialty skill competitions such as the Maintaineer Maintenance Stakes to build a mechanic's confidence in their ability to conduct basic troubleshooting tasks on equipment," said Lawrence. "I believe training like this set them apart from other competitors."

The Bulldawgs won at the division level and competed against approximately 42 other maintenance units in the active modified table of organization and equipment--small unit (1-100 authorized personnel) category.

"The company plans to maintain this band of excellence through the execution of daily duties during deployment and training with our Afghan National Security Force partners," said Lawrence. "The expectation of every Maintaineer... every Currahee, is to be a master of their trade. The Bulldawgs of B Co. demonstrated this during the 2012-2013 AAME competition and are poised to take it to the next level for the following year."

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4th Brigade Combat Team, 101 ABN DIV