Photo By Sgt. Salvatore Ottaviano | NEW YORK - Sgt. Kaylan Gray, with the 237th Support Maintenance Company (SMC) lifts...... read more read more
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NEW YORK – As the coronavirus pandemic sweeps across America, it has impacted Soldiers, their families’ health, unit operations and has caused social isolation. How does an Army Reserve unit work during a pandemic and overcome isolation so it can maintain and repair its vast amount of equipment hands-on as well as provide soldiers and units needed items?
The 237th Support Maintenance Company is executing its 2020 annual training exercise in-person to overcome the COVID 19 pandemic. The unit decided that by using required masks and proper social distancing, it could get back into the fight to successfully perform its vital mission.
The 237th SMC, headquartered at Fort Totten, New York, launched Urgent Torque 3.0, its annual training exercise, which comprises 127 of the unit’s soldiers working at Area Maintenance Support Activities and Equipment Concentration Sites this August to maintain or repair its equipment and accomplish its readiness mission.
Sgt. Miaoying Zhu, culinary specialist (92G) explains that hands-on work has to be done for the unit’s most basic mission and the Army Reserve’s top priority. “It’ll improve readiness,” said Sgt. Zhu, a resident of Queens. “It’s very important to get our stuff in order, to keep track and to know what we have and know what to get.”
Since February, Soldiers conducted virtual battle assemblies (online video conferences) at home, instead of traditionally assembling in-person. They accomplished some training virtually during the spring and summer months, but didn’t complete some of the physical tasks that needed to be completed.
Spc. Leon Wilson of the 237th SMC came to the same conclusion as Sgt. Zhu about how integral it is to the unit to track its inventory in-person. “With the work we do here, we will then be ready for any possible mission that comes,” said Wilson, a Manhattan resident.
Troops are getting all the maintenance time they could ask for during their annual training. Pvt. Nicholas Gonzalez, Small Arms Artillery Repairer from Queens, points out that coming back to work at the 237th SMC makes a difference in his training. “Inventory work builds up your skills at the same time it helps to keep track of everything - to know where it’s [equipment] at,” said Pvt. Gonzalez.
The 237th SMC, which falls under the 354th Movement Control Battalion (MCB) had its soldiers travel to many Area Maintenance Support Activities and Equipment Concentration Sites including Fort Eustis, Fort Story, Fort Devens, Fort Dix, Fort Indian Town Gap, Fort Totten and in Londonberry, NH, Middletown, CT and Laughton, Mass during the annual training.
“The objective is to be ready for training and to be ready for the real world,” said Pvt. Gonzalez.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2020 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 376001 |
| Location: | NEW YORK, NEW YORK, US |
| Web Views: | 520 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 237th Support Maintenance Command Gets Back in the Fight, Overcomes Pandemic, by SGT Salvatore Ottaviano, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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