Making It Happen: Vehicle Services with Alpha Company, 1-16 Infantry

Photo By Capt. Christopher Sikich | Pfc. Michael Cox, a Bradley Vehicle Mechanic from Langley, Oklahoma assigned to India Forward Support Company, attached to Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division performs vehicle services on a M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle in the maintenance bay at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, March 26, 2019. The unit is deployed to Bulgaria in support of the Atlantic Resolve Mission. (U.S. Army photo by Cpt. Christopher L. Sikich)  

NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, BULGARIA

03.27.2019

Story by Capt. Christopher Sikich 

358th Public Affairs Detachment

NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, Bulgaria – Soldiers with Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas are hard at work conducting services and maintenance operations on their M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles.

“Services are extremely important to ensure that our Bradley Fighting Vehicles stay operational and are capable of functioning at peak performance,” said Staff Sgt. Kyler Alexander, an Infantryman assigned to Alpha Company, 1-16, out of Fort Riley, Kansas. “Working alongside our mechanics during services enables us to develop a more refined understanding of the mechanical components that keep our Bradley’s moving forward.”

Pfc. Corbin Taylor, a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Mechanic assigned to India Company, 1-16, was at work on an Alpha Company Bradley alongside vehicle operators assigned to A. Co.

“I am on loan to Alpha Company to assist with working on these vehicles,” stated Taylor, a Yorktown, Virginia native. “Digging into these services helps keep our mechanic skill set sharp, and we can work with the vehicle operators to ensure they keep their ‘Level 10’ operator-level maintenance skills are where they should be.”

The Bradley Fighting Vehicle Operators did not hesitate to get involved in the maintenance bay with the mechanics. Pfc. Raushan Cheatem, an Infantryman assigned to A. Co. 1-16 serves as a Bradley Fighting Vehicle Operator. “I always ensure that I am conducting a proper PMCS every time before this vehicle moves, and once its driven back to a staging area or motor pool,” Cheatem emphasized. “Working with our experts, the mechanics, keeps us on top of our game.”

Command emphasis is a driving factor in the services and maintenance operations that are performed on a continuous basis with the subordinate units of 1-16.

“When a vehicle is down, its combat power is taken out of the fight,” said 1st Lt. Ernest Agresti, the A. Co. Executive Officer. “Services are a dedicated time to help us identify issues that are beyond the 10 and 20 levels, and to alleviate those issues so they are corrected, and so we don’t encounter the same issues later on.”

With the Iron Rangers preparing for numerous training scenarios alongside allied and partner nations, maintenance and services will remain a priority to keep Alpha Company moving forward.

• Date Taken: 03.27.2019
• Date Posted: 03.28.2019 03:32
• Story ID: 315904
• Location: NOVO SELO TRAINING AREA, BG