Team Stryker Keeps Soldiers Safe on Mission

BALAD, IRAQ

08.09.2009

Story by Sgt. Crystal Reidy 

3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq — A partner logistician of the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade's Stryker section repairs and maintains a ready to fight fleet of Interim Armored Vehicle Strykers daily and providing replacement vehicles to Coalition units when necessary.

The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled armored vehicles which are primarily employed in Stryker Brigade Combat Teams.

Several civilian contractors working with the 1st Battalion, 402nd AFSB, repairs IAV Stryker's on-site and returns the vehicle to get Soldiers back to their missions. In addition, their mission requires maintaining more than 30 ready-to-issue replacement vehicles to the Stryker BCT when a vehicle becomes non-mission capable.

"When you have a unit on ground with live missions, you got to rapidly get them back supporting their missions," said Tony Borris, a quality assurance supervisor and a civilian contractor. "It's important to have this facility here in Iraq so when they need support; we give it to them and get them back on the road."

In the past six months, 49 strykers have either been repaired here or sent back to the states.

"It's all about enabling the warfighters and keeping Soldiers safe," Borris said.

Borris said the Stryker section will assess the requested repairs and do more to document the vehicles history by sending a report back to the manufacturer and allow for future improvements of the vehicles performance, capabilities to protect Soldiers on the battlefield including armor protection kits.

"Anything that needs repaired, we analyze to the armor or the design, anything that might help protect the Soldier in the future," Borris said. "It's all about what is best for the Soldiers and their mission."

• Date Taken: 08.09.2009
• Date Posted: 08.09.2009 08:13
• Story ID: 37302
• Location: BALAD, IQ