Services for Brigade Readiness

Photo By Spc. Jordyn Worshek | Spc. Jason Morse, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems Maintainer assigned to A. Co., 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, checks a turret component during annual services, Oct. 25, on Fort Stewart, Ga. The turret controls the M242 Bushmaster, a 25mm cannon and the Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided missile.  

FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

10.30.2018

Story by Spc. Jordyn Worshek 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

Services for Brigade Readiness
By Spc. Jordyn Worshek, 2ABCT Unit Public Affairs Specialist
A team of Soldiers scan their position while looking through the periscopes of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Suddenly, they hear gunshots. “Contact three o’clock!” yells one of the Soldiers to their team.
The Bradley’s gunner unleashes fire from the M242 Bushmaster, but instead of pushing through a chokepoint, the vehicle only lurches forward and slams back. Smoke and an acrid smell fills the fire teams’ nostrils. The crew has to call for recovery assets while fighting off a determined enemy.
This training scenario is fiction, but the danger here is real. Soldiers in the fight get stranded or possibly become casualties because of poor maintenance. These scenarios make it essential for units to perform annual services, in addition to regular maintenance, on all vehicles and systems.
Soldiers and maintenance teams assigned to A. Company, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, began annual services on their BFVs this week. Throughout the month of October, the maintenance team has worked tirelessly to ready the entire battalion’s BFVs for upcoming gunnery training.
Annual services include fluid and filter changes, greasing lube points, and inspecting the track for faults. Key components of the engine, transmission and turret also get inspected.
“Your crew level jobs, your 10-level jobs, are greasing, cleaning, draining, (and) re-filling hubs,” said Sgt. Randy Young, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems Maintainer of A. Co., 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. “Then you have the 20-level checks for the mechanics. We change filters, change oils, change hydraulic filters, fuel filters, check linkages, look for missing or broken parts and replace them on the spot or put something on order.”
The maintenance team hustled to meet repair deadlines, but no more than four Bradleys are serviced each week. This ensures all faults have ample time to be corrected and no details are overlooked.
“Services are kind of rushed because it does take a while, but no less than a week a platoon,” said Young.
Annual services on 3-15 Infantry’s vehicles prepares the battalion for combined arms training within Spartan Brigade.
“Services keep our machines ready for war, keeps our lethality up, in not only the company, but the Battalion and the Brigade, and it allows us to be ready to go whenever the nation calls,” said 1st Lt. Andy Schouten, Executive Officer of A. Co., 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team.
Annual services and regular maintenance are critical to keeping Soldiers safe and vehicles in the fight, but operators and mechanics maintain the line.

• Date Taken: 10.30.2018
• Date Posted: 10.30.2018 16:26
• Story ID: 298288
• Location: FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US