thedrifter
07-12-08, 07:26 AM
Stranded No More
July 11, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. Aaron Rooks
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Here's a fact that's not easily disputed: nobody enjoys it when their vehicle breaks down on the side of the road. Whether it's when you're on your way to work, going to pick up your child from school, or even halfway during your cross-country trip, it's never fun.
As bad as it seems when your vehicle finally decides to give out on you, it's never as bad as you think. Instead, try putting yourself in the boots of the General Support Motor Transport Marines of Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
For as long as GSMT Company has existed, these Marines have only had first echelon vehicle maintenance capabilities. To the average person, this means doesn't mean much. But to those Marine who only know how to drive their vehicle, this means if they break down in a combat zone in Iraq or Afghanistan, they're stranded.
But things are changing now. After two months of discussions and decisions made, these Marines are getting an upgrade to second echelon capabilities. This means that from now on, these Marines can fix their own vehicles when they have problems. Big picture: now there is a much smaller chance of the Marines becoming stranded somewhere in the middle of a war zone.
"If you're cruising down the road when all of a sudden your truck breaks down and there is no one around to fix it, plus you're in the middle of Iraq, you've got a problem," said Staff Sgt. Ivan Feliciano, the maintenance chief for GSMT Company. "The truck's not moving, so they're waiting. They're sitting ducks!"
The very thought of the Marines becoming sitting ducks was one of the primary reasons the echelon upgrades came into play, Feliciano said. One of the company's biggest fears was sending the Marines to Iraq with them without knowing how to do their jobs entirely. He said that fear is quickly becoming an after-thought.
"Mechanics who can't do their own maintenance on vehicles themselves was the origin of the issue," Feliciano said. "But now they're getting trained. Now they will be able to overcome the different tasks that will face them, and they're excited about it."
Feliciano said that these Marines, primarily the mechanics, left their military occupational schools and came to the unit with training and knowledge about the vehicles, only to become drivers and never do their jobs as mechanics. This, he said, is the reason why the Marines are taking these changes with such enthusiasm.
Take Pfc.'s Angel Rivera and Joshua Grubb for example. Both are motor transport mechanics who recently arrived to GSMT Company, yet they know very little when it comes to mechanics. But with the new additions, they are quickly learning and becoming more proficient in their job fields.
"We as mechanics have to be able to hurry up and find out what's wrong with a vehicle and fix it," Rivera said. "If my Marines need me to fix a truck, I know I will be able to do so and get that truck back out on the road so the job can get done."
Grubb agrees with Rivera, stating that he has worked on cars his entire life, but never learned as much as he has over the past few weeks. He said his fellow Marines are taking the knowledge in with ease as well.
These comments pose a positive outlook when you consider the vast realm of responsibilities that face GSMT Company. Feliciano said the unit provides maintenance and operational support to all three combat logistics battalions in CLR-2, plus additional support requirements to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, both forward deployed and in the rear.
He said when supporting other commands in the past, the unit always had to resort to time consuming methods. He said if a truck broke down in years past, the Marines would have to send it up the maintenance chain to a larger unit for repairs, such as 2nd Maintenance Battalion, because they only had the abilities to drive the vehicles, not repair them.
"Speed and efficiency is key," Feliciano said in reference to inducting a vehicle, repairing it and returning it the unit. "The maintenance turn-around time has to be quick. The longer it takes us to repair the vehicle, the longer the mission gets put on hold."
Feliciano said the echelon upgrades are nearly complete, but time is still needed before the Marines reach perfection. Although, he confident that they won't experience any problems with that topic. He said throughout the adjustment period, he has never had problems with Marines getting out and accomplishing every task at hand.
"It will be a few months before the Marines experience all the problems that could occur and realize what they're job is really about," he said. "But bottom line, at the end of the day, they're Marines. They're up to the challenge."
Ellie
July 11, 2008
Marine Corps News|by Cpl. Aaron Rooks
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Here's a fact that's not easily disputed: nobody enjoys it when their vehicle breaks down on the side of the road. Whether it's when you're on your way to work, going to pick up your child from school, or even halfway during your cross-country trip, it's never fun.
As bad as it seems when your vehicle finally decides to give out on you, it's never as bad as you think. Instead, try putting yourself in the boots of the General Support Motor Transport Marines of Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group.
For as long as GSMT Company has existed, these Marines have only had first echelon vehicle maintenance capabilities. To the average person, this means doesn't mean much. But to those Marine who only know how to drive their vehicle, this means if they break down in a combat zone in Iraq or Afghanistan, they're stranded.
But things are changing now. After two months of discussions and decisions made, these Marines are getting an upgrade to second echelon capabilities. This means that from now on, these Marines can fix their own vehicles when they have problems. Big picture: now there is a much smaller chance of the Marines becoming stranded somewhere in the middle of a war zone.
"If you're cruising down the road when all of a sudden your truck breaks down and there is no one around to fix it, plus you're in the middle of Iraq, you've got a problem," said Staff Sgt. Ivan Feliciano, the maintenance chief for GSMT Company. "The truck's not moving, so they're waiting. They're sitting ducks!"
The very thought of the Marines becoming sitting ducks was one of the primary reasons the echelon upgrades came into play, Feliciano said. One of the company's biggest fears was sending the Marines to Iraq with them without knowing how to do their jobs entirely. He said that fear is quickly becoming an after-thought.
"Mechanics who can't do their own maintenance on vehicles themselves was the origin of the issue," Feliciano said. "But now they're getting trained. Now they will be able to overcome the different tasks that will face them, and they're excited about it."
Feliciano said that these Marines, primarily the mechanics, left their military occupational schools and came to the unit with training and knowledge about the vehicles, only to become drivers and never do their jobs as mechanics. This, he said, is the reason why the Marines are taking these changes with such enthusiasm.
Take Pfc.'s Angel Rivera and Joshua Grubb for example. Both are motor transport mechanics who recently arrived to GSMT Company, yet they know very little when it comes to mechanics. But with the new additions, they are quickly learning and becoming more proficient in their job fields.
"We as mechanics have to be able to hurry up and find out what's wrong with a vehicle and fix it," Rivera said. "If my Marines need me to fix a truck, I know I will be able to do so and get that truck back out on the road so the job can get done."
Grubb agrees with Rivera, stating that he has worked on cars his entire life, but never learned as much as he has over the past few weeks. He said his fellow Marines are taking the knowledge in with ease as well.
These comments pose a positive outlook when you consider the vast realm of responsibilities that face GSMT Company. Feliciano said the unit provides maintenance and operational support to all three combat logistics battalions in CLR-2, plus additional support requirements to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, both forward deployed and in the rear.
He said when supporting other commands in the past, the unit always had to resort to time consuming methods. He said if a truck broke down in years past, the Marines would have to send it up the maintenance chain to a larger unit for repairs, such as 2nd Maintenance Battalion, because they only had the abilities to drive the vehicles, not repair them.
"Speed and efficiency is key," Feliciano said in reference to inducting a vehicle, repairing it and returning it the unit. "The maintenance turn-around time has to be quick. The longer it takes us to repair the vehicle, the longer the mission gets put on hold."
Feliciano said the echelon upgrades are nearly complete, but time is still needed before the Marines reach perfection. Although, he confident that they won't experience any problems with that topic. He said throughout the adjustment period, he has never had problems with Marines getting out and accomplishing every task at hand.
"It will be a few months before the Marines experience all the problems that could occur and realize what they're job is really about," he said. "But bottom line, at the end of the day, they're Marines. They're up to the challenge."
Ellie