FORT STEWART, Ga. - Soldiers like Sgt. Justin Craven know wars cannot be won using broken equipment.
A two-time Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veteran, Craven said his role as a wheeled vehicle mechanic has been vital to mission accomplishment. And, he said, his job with Company E, 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Third Infantry Division--a forward support company attached to the 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment--wouldn't have been possible to perform if he hadn't had the M7 Forward Repair System in his corner.
The FRS, which has been fielded by the Army for almost 11 years, continues to serve mechanics who need a mobile, fully-sustainable platform from which to conduct maintenance operations in austere environments. Sergeant Craven said the FRS gives mechanics all the capabilities--lifting, jacking, hydraulic, pneumatic, welding and cutting--they need to repair and maintain vehicles.
"The capabilities of it are limitless," Sgt. Craven said of the FRS. "It's absolutely essential--in both my tours [I] used it daily."
Because of the importance of the equipment, Sgt. Craven said he and other leaders took the time, July 19, to familiarize mechanics with the FRS during sergeant's time training on Fort Stewart, Ga.
Sergeant Craven said Soldiers were taught how to operate the crane, which can lift 10,500 pounds; how to use the FRS to safely and quickly jack up a vehicle so maintenance could be performed; how to start and maintain the on-board generator and how to use the plasma cutter.
Private First Class Jason St. George, a wheeled vehicle mechanic with Company E, 703rd BSB, showed off his artistic side during the training by using the plasma cutter to cut a unique design out of an aluminum plate. Private First Class St. George said he enjoyed learning about the various ways the FRS can help him accomplish a mission.
"I feel more prepared … so that if I did have to use the equipment I'd be ready," Pfc. St. George said.
Private Fedson Marra, also a wheeled vehicle mechanic with Company E, 703rd BSB, agreed.
"It was good training," Pvt. Marra said. "I think it's going to help me a lot because the FRS can be used in any situation."
At the end of the training Sgt. Craven talked about a particular time he was able to make a major repair quickly on a combat-essential vehicle.
"We had a steering linkage on a [mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicle] break, and we actually used the FRS to lift up the front end of it so that we could repair it," Sgt. Craven said. "[We were able to get] the infantry guys rolling back out [on] their mission--it was great, they loved it."
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