Photo By Sgt. Sean Mcguire | Spc. Charles Patrick, an allied trades specialist with the 632nd Maintenance Company,...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq — Anyone who has been to Contingency Operating Base Adder in the last year has probably seen the work of the 632nd Maintenance Company, 749th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), allied trade specialists.
Whether it includes security gates, ovens at the Iraqi dining facilities, newly repaired engine heads, modified mine resistant ambush protected vehicles, or sight adjustors for M16A2 assault rifles, the shop has done it all.
During the platoon’s tour, they have completed an estimated 1,200 fabrication and repair projects.
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Clarence Anderson, the officer in charge of the shop and a Chicago native, said most jobs are created by customers simply walking in on a daily basis to make a request.
“We have supported KBR [Kellogg, Brown and Root], and various brigade combat teams as well as the entirety of Adder while here,” he said. “Some of our hottest missions were welding jobs on security gates and the equipment inside the gyms. Most jobs took five to seven days to complete.
“We have soldiers working as welders and machinists,” added Anderson, who has 16 years of service.
He said that the Army struggled for 10 to 12 years by keeping the two different military occupational specialties divided, despite their close, hand-in-hand relationship in daily operations.
In the last year, incoming soldiers learned both machining and welding.
Sgt. Justin Fritter, a soldier with the 632nd Maintainence Company, is new to the ATS shop, but has a machinist background. The Yuma, Ariz., native, created a knife and display for his first practice project since learning the welding aspect of the job.
“Mixing the two sides [of the job] is the best thing; they were meant to be together,” he said. “I spent time as an automotive technician before joining the Army, rebuilding engines, and it was the most fun I had. It’s why I decided to join this field when enlisting.”
He said he intends to go back to his hometown and open his own machining and welding shop that creates parts for obsolete farm equipment.
Fritter said he’d prefer to have a small shop so he can be more hands-on and allow his customers to choose him for affordability rather than buying it new elsewhere at a steeper cost.
“Things are run by computers a lot today and this designates a person to pushing buttons on the machines and letting it do all the work,” he said. “I’d want to do it myself.”
Soldiers in the ATS shop have kept photos over the course of the year of their more memorable projects, including the commander’s cup belt. They’ve also made Army rank insignias for doors, and unit emblems and logos. They’ve even made a three-pronged flag stand for their battalion.
“This job is certainly the more functional of the arts,” said Fritter. “But there is plenty of room for creativity.”
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.24.2011 07:22 |
| Story ID: | 67651 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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