Photo By Spc. Annie Riley | U.S. Soldiers with the 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania National Guard train...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. - U.S. Soldiers with the 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania National Guard trained on the proper care, maintenance and hazards of driving and operating large military vehicles during an exercise here, July 23, 2024.
Learning preventative maintenance checks and services and going through drivers training ensures Soldiers know how to properly and safely operate and maintain military equipment, such as Humvees or Light Medium Tactical Vehicles, also known as LMTVs.
The 213th RSG trains annually on this, and many other basic Soldier skills, to maintain an excellent standard of readiness for state active duty missions, combat and other deployment opportunities.
“These are people who have probably never been in a military vehicle or around a military vehicle to know the PMCS procedures and what to look for,” said Master Sergeant Anthony Mauro, the primary instructor of the Humvee portion of the drivers training class. “We’ll get them in [the vehicle] and give them a visual acuity test, color test, several tests here in the classroom will take place with the driver’s box. When they’re done we’ll take them out there and they’ll be with their section trainer who has already been through the class and has trained and will walk them through the steps.”
All Army personnel who drive, maintain or conduct PMCS of a military vehicle must be properly trained of the dangers, risks and procedures.
“A military vehicle is a very different vehicle than your civilian vehicle. There are a lot of blind spots,” Mauro said. “Our vehicles are heavy, they react differently to your driving. The steering is different, the braking is different. It’s really to promote a safe environment and keep our Soldiers safe when they're out on the road and in the training areas.”
It is imperative that all military personnel conduct PMCS on military vehicles annually, monthly, weekly or daily as defined in the appropriate manuals. Going through drivers training is important for using a military vehicle in that it ensures that those within the vehicle and outside the vehicle are not exposed to any unnecessary dangers or risks.
“The value in the training to me is understanding that PMCS is usually the most important part. Keeping this vehicle maintained — that all the equipment is working properly and doing those tests as well as getting out on the road driving it,” Mauro said.
An LMTV is a 4X4 wheeled vehicle that is outfitted to carry troops, haul vehicles and even transport military equipment such as a howitzer. In this training, they identified the parts and features of the vehicle such as the cab and how to lift it up using the proper switches. They learned hand and arm signals and how to use them to ground-guide a vehicle along with learning how to PMCS an LMTV.
The most important thing they will learn from this training, according to Mauro, is the danger from not understanding PMCS and not following proper guidelines and procedures.
“LMTVs and Humvees, there’s a difference," Mauro said. "LMTVs are much larger and heavier. I went through the LMTV training prior to an annual training many years ago and we had a tire blowout on the way to the training area along the highway. Without the training, the risk for injury would have been very high.
"The training was definitely there for us.”
| Date Taken: | 07.23.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 07.24.2024 16:19 |
| Story ID: | 476961 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 147 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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