One Marine, many missions

Photo By Cpl. Brandon Dulaney | Sgt. Jason P. Osborne, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 Mobile Facilities Maintenance non-commissioned officer-in-charge, teaches two MALS-26 Marines the basic components of a generator and how they function. Most of the Marines that work for Osborne are from different occupational specialties and often have to be taught the basic maintenance procedures for generators and how to set them up to provide electricity.  

AL ASAD, IRAQ

03.22.2009

Story by Lance Cpl. Brandon Dulaney 

II Marine Expeditionary Force   

AL ASAD, Iraq – "Adapt and overcome." It's a phrase most Marines live by, to adapt to any situation that arises and overcome any challenges that may present themselves.

For Sgt. Jason P. Osborne, Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 26 Mobile Work Facility Maintenance non-commissioned officer-in-charge, it's almost as if the phrase was modeled after him.

After receiving an honorable discharge in 2004 from his first enlistment, Osborne began working for a Caterpillar plant, overhauling diesel engines and generators. After three years, he realized that it was time for him to come back to the Corps and re-enlisted in November 2007.

Continuing on what he had done as a civilian, Osborne was put in charge of maintaining the generators and other equipment that supply the electrical power for different sections of the MALS-26 compound and power supply for other squadrons' communications satellites.

Among the daunting tasks of making sure there is power where it needs to be, Osborne and his Marines also have to ensure that all the generators are in working order, quite the task when a generator goes down and needs to be replaced.

"We keep this place running," said Osborne. "If our shop is not doing our job, then no one here has power."

However, the job does not stop there. After replacing a malfunctioning generator, he and his Marines have to disassemble the generator and troubleshoot the problem so it can become operable again.

"We have generators that supply power for various different things," said Osborne. "Some of our generators supply the power for some of the squadrons' satellites so it is important for us to be on top of things and get the stuff fixed."

"They rely on us to make sure our equipment is running properly so they can get their job done," he added.

Other than the job of maintaining the power supply equipment, Osborne must also teach the Marines working under him the skills of performing a job in which many of them have little-to-no experience.

"A lot of the Marines that do this job come from different job fields," said Gunnery Sgt. Dustin Ohman, MALS-26 Mobile Work Facility Maintenance staff non-commissioned officer in charge. "I have seen him teach Marines that have never worked with electricity or didn't know the basics about how engines work become reliable resources in maintaining our equipment."

"He knows his Marines very well and devotes a lot of his time making sure they have the knowledge and skills to do their jobs," added Ohman. "I put a lot of responsibility on him because: one, I know he will see that any given task is completed; and two, he gets a lot of satisfaction out of completing the job and is constantly looking for new things to learn."

But, the job for Osborne and his Marines isn't just about supporting personnel here. They maintain generators and equipment that provide electricity at several forward operating bases in Iraq and assist in the maintenance of equipment being used in Afghanistan as well.

"We have about 32 generators altogether," said Osborne. "It can be difficult trying to maintain them all but it has to be done. Our job is not one people consider a glory job, but I do. It's a fun job to do. There's not a lot of time that I have for myself but I like it that way. It keeps me busy."

"We have great Marines capable of doing good things," he added. "But, my success only comes from the success of our shop."

"There's not one single thing I can do by myself. It's because of them that I can do what I do."

For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq's Al Anbar province, visit www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/iimeffwd.

• Date Taken: 03.22.2009
• Date Posted: 03.22.2009 14:01
• Story ID: 31461
• Location: AL ASAD, IQ