Photo By Sgt. Adrian Muehe | Spc. Justin Fritter, an allied trades specialist with the 632nd Maintenance Company,...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPEARATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – In company buildings and brigade headquarters throughout Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq, there are intricate metal plaques and guide-on posts that are found only on this post.
These metal creations are custom made by the Allied Trades and Services shop ran by the Outlaws from Hell, Soldiers with the 632nd Maintenance Company, 10th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).
"We do everything and anything with metal," said Spc. Charles Patrick, a welder with the 632nd Maint. Company, and a Covington, La., native. "From desk plaques and stilts for people's beds to bigger mission essential projects."
Their shop is located at the back of their company headquarters and is a vast warehouse full of work benches, machinery and tools needed to work metal in every way possible. In the middle of their shop is a space large enough to move any tactical vehicle in for work if needed. Constant noise fills the air from saws and welding equipment, with the faint hum of rock music playing in the background. With so many projects going on, there is never a quiet moment, said Patrick.
"We have a lot of work-orders come in from people wanting stuff made for them," said Patrick. "We fit these in between the bigger, more mission essential projects we get in from units."
One of these bigger, more essential, projects was to build the framing for a solar shade so that Soldiers can find an escape from the brutal sun that shines down upon southern Iraq, said Patrick.
A lot of these skills that are displayed come from civilian experience. Most of them held jobs in construction and welding prior to joining the Army.
"We have more than just welders working here, we have mechanics and machinists here too," said Patrick. "These machinists are on a different level of work. They are able to break things down with their machines and fine tools and are able to get things so finely tuned that nothing is roughly cut or looks like it was just thrown together."
While the role of U.S. Forces in Iraq has continually changed throughout the time they have been deployed here, so has the role of the metal shops, said Staff Sgt. William Frazer, an allied trades specialist with the 632nd Maint. Company, and a New York City, N.Y., native.
"I was working as a Soldier in a shop in 2005," said Frazer. "Back then most of our work was up-armoring civilian vehicles, up-armoring military vehicles, making bumpers for HMMWVs [High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicles], and making weapons parts for the Iraqis.
"The main focus of these shops has changed from up-armoring vehicles to having people request different jobs from us, such as making plaques. We work in a more relaxed environment and have the time to do these things for people."
The most common job they have requested is the fabrication of various tools, said Frazzer.
"If someone has a job to do and they don’t have the tools to get it done we will make one for them," said Frazzer. "These range from giant spanner wrenches to front-sight post adjustment tools for weapons.
As thousands of Soldiers leave Iraq, the first twinge of light of Operation New Dawn is visible over the horizon of the vast Iraqi desert. While the mission in Iraq is changing, these Soldiers will keep working their metal magic to help sustain the remaining force in the final days of U.S. operations in Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.30.2010 03:57 |
| Story ID: | 55378 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPEARATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 94 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
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