Photo By Sgt. 1st Class John Healy | Pfc. Alexander Wang, an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer from Richmond, Va., assigned...... read more read more
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CAMP HOVEY, South Korea – Soldiers can always spot a mechanic by their boots. If you see a Soldier walking through the motor pool wearing dirt-scrubbed coveralls with boots black from engine oil there’s a fair chance they know their way around a socket wrench.
For mechanics in the Army, the uniform is like a badge. It means that you don’t shy away from hard work.
“For me its part of the job,” said Sgt. Ausetalia Taotua, an M1 Abrams tank system maintainer from Samoa, currently assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division.
The 1-8 Cavalry completed their gunnery exercises at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex on Sept. 25. Charlie Company spent 45 days at the range working to keep the unit’s tanks mission capable.
“If you don’t get dirty, it seems like you didn’t do anything,” said Taotua.
Of course this is no excuse not to be presentable, said Taotua.
Most Soldiers keep a second uniform close at hand for whenever they leave the motor pool. The bottom line is that when it comes to having a clean uniform or making sure that their vehicles remain serviceable, a mechanic will chose the vehicle any day.
Taotua and his Soldiers are responsible for maintaining the tanks of 1-8 Cavalry. That means that whenever there’s a tank that needs fixing, Taotua and his Soldiers don’t sleep until the job is finished.
"Sometimes we forget we’ve been working so hard,” said Taotua. “We don’t really focus on the time, we focus on getting it done.”
Taotua and his Soldiers don’t mind the work. In fact, the thing they detest the most is down time.
“Down time is just time when we’ll sweep the same spots over again,” said Pfc. Alexander Wang, an M1 Abrams maintainer from Richmond, Virginia. He’d rather be busy getting his hands dirty.
“There’s always something to fix on tank,” said Wang. “They require a lot of maintenance.”
Wang has one goal whenever he sets out to fix a tank, to do the kind of work that he can be proud of.
“Fixing them, its hard work, but actually watching them, knowing that we have that high combat power…. It’s like, this is what defends our nation, and I’m a part of it. It might be a little insignificant support role, but it’s rewarding,” said Wang.
For Pfc. Elliott Kaelber, an M1 Abrams mechanic from St. Petersburg, Florida, in order to provide for his wife and daughter. He ended up unwittingly following in the footsteps of his father, who was a mechanic in the Marines.
Being a mechanic is something that Kaelber has grown to love.
“The best thing about my job is that there’s just an unlimited amount of potential,” said Kaelber. “You can start from not knowing which way is up and eventually you can find your way through everything.”
“It just takes application, initiative, and the desire to learn,” said Kaelber. “Its incredibly difficult but it can be done. Its all up to you.”
Kaelber and his team members are determined to do their jobs to the best of their abilities.
“I’m skilled at my job but I’m not the best, so I need to take every single day that I can, whether we’ve got a lot going on or a little going on, and learn,” said Kaelber. “As long as I can breath and I’m not bleeding there’s something that can be done today.”
This sense of pride is ubiquitous among mechanics. They know who keeps the Army rolling.
“I’m going to do the best I can because that’s the best I can give to the Army and in turn the best I can give back to my family and my daughter,” said Kaelber. “My role is just as important as anybody else’s.”
“I’m just fitting my piece in the puzzle,” said Kaelber.
| Date Taken: | 09.28.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.05.2015 02:20 |
| Story ID: | 178080 |
| Location: | CAMP CASEY, KR |
| Hometown: | RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, US |
| Hometown: | ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,870 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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