FORT STEWART, GA -- Maintenance in the U.S. Army is a support element that is often forgotten about until you need it.
Soldiers of the 63rd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, 35th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade learned valuable maintenance techniques during a situational training exercise held during the Lion Brigade annual Field Training Exercise.
Held in the hot and humid training area of Ft. Stewart signaleers learned how to trouble shoot issues and also how to field fix equipment without relying on maintenance support.
"Sometimes you don't have the time to wait for mechanics and maintainers to get to your location," said Sgt. David Soler, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to Headquarters and eadquarters Company, 63rd ESB. "In those times of need Soldiers need to be able to rely on their own knowledge and skill to, at a minimum get equipment operational until we get a chance to fix the deficiency."
The benefit of this type of training alleviates some of the work load on mechanics who in field and deployment environments are constantly busy with malfunctioning and broken equipment.
"The terrain in the training areas we deploy to the field or other countries is usually austere and is very hard on our equipment," said Soler. "So a way for us to ensure we get the best shelf life for equipment is by ensuring we properly take care of and routinely check our equipment. Other than that ensuring the Soldiers who use the equipment daily know and understand the importance of preventative maintenance and how to trouble shoot their equipment."
With these skills Soldiers will be able to ensure mission readiness, in any situation, training, combat and every scenario in between.
Social Sharing