'In-lieu-of' Airmen keep Army rolling along

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Trevor Tiernan
  • U.S. CENTAF Combat Correspondent Team
FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, Afghanistan --  A team of Air Force professionals is keeping the Army rolling and the mission moving every day over the rugged terrain of Afghanistan.

Deployed on a year-long "in-lieu-of" tasking to a forward operating base near the city of Qalat, Afghanistan, four Airmen keep more than 30 vehicles mission-ready for the provincial reconstruction team here. Keeping the vehicles ready ensures the PRT members are able to move out when tasked.

"They've made every mission," Said Staff Sgt. Joel Bonnett, deployed from Fort Riley, Kan. "They have never missed a mission due to downed vehicles."

Making every mission is a claim the Airmen are proud; as is their prowess in the level of maintenance they are capable of.

"We can do just about anything," said Tech. Sgt. Dave Albanese, from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., "unless a truck takes an IED (improvised explosive device)." Even then, the sergeant said they could repair the vehicle, but it's more practical, and quicker, to get a replacement and repair the damaged one in the rear.

The Airmen's ability to do "just about anything" has been put to the test repeatedly over the seven months they have been in country. The unforgiving terrain and high operations tempo has the group working around the clock keeping the vehicles serviceable.

"The biggest problem we have is the terrain," Sergeant Albanese said. "If these (vehicles) were driving on paved roads we'd have a lot less problems than we do. But since they're so heavy and they're going off-road all the time, we have to do a lot of suspension work."

The increased weight of the up-armored Humvees adds to the problem.

"The steering and suspension on the trucks is wearing out about every 1,000 miles or so," Sergeant Bonnett said. "So we have to replace ball joints, tie rods, shocks, springs, and more."

"We could probably do most of that work blindfolded now since we've done it so much," Sergeant Albanese said.

On the four-man team, only Sergeants Albanese and Bonnett are vehicle mechanics, Tech. Sgt. James Nelson, from Nellis AFB, Nev., and Staff Sgt. Logan Pike, from Malmstrom AFB, Mont., are responsible for logistics and vehicle dispatch respectively.

"When we first got here, we had a real high ops-tempo and everything needed repairing after a mission," said Sergeant Albanese. "We would have three or four down trucks. We'd stay here all night working on them so they could meet the mission the next day."

The Airmen's role in keeping the convoys moving became apparent to the operators on a particular mission earlier in the year. Approximately 60 kilometers outside of the FOB, five vehicles broke down.

"(The terrain) messed up the trucks to where they couldn't make it back on their own," said Sergeant Albanese. "Busted half-shafts, broken radiator, failed generator, fuel leak, coolant leaks, and the terrain just rattled everything loose."

The only option was to bring the vehicle maintainers outside the wire to repair the trucks in the field. After finishing work on getting vehicles ready for a separate mission, the Airmen headed out aboard two helicopters the following morning, one carrying Sergeants Albanese and Bonnett, the other carrying their tools and parts.

"We went out there, fixed them all within three hours and they completed their mission that afternoon," said Sergeant Albanese.

The dedication and commitment the vehicle maintenance Airmen display daily isn't lost on their customers. The Soldiers know just how important the Airmen are to their mission.

"They're mission essential," said Army Sgt. Benjamin House, an Arizona Army National Guard member deployed to the Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team. "We couldn't do the job without the (mechanics) we have here."

Knowing that they keep the mission rolling and that their efforts don't go unrecognized, helps keep both Sergeant Albanese and Sergeant Bonnett focused on their work.

"With them knowing what we do for them and appreciating it, it keeps that drive up there and the morale up," Sergeant Albanese said. "If it weren't for that, we probably would have wanted to quit a long time ago."

"It feels good," added Sergeant Bonnett, "that's what we're here to do."