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Where rubber meets the road

Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Two Iraqi workers remove a tire from a rim in the tire shop of Battery C, 6th...... read more read more

TAJI, IRAQ

06.19.2006

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Who is the "Michelin Man" of Camp Taji?

That would be Battery C, 6th Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery, and not because they have overweight Soldiers, but because they run the one and only tire shop on the base.

"We provide a local tire service here on Camp Taji," said Capt. Brad Lowery, the executive officer of Battery C. "The employees are hired local nationals . . . Anyone passing through Camp Taji or located on Camp Taji can pull up and have any of their tires changed, basically with free labor."

The shop services anything from humvee tires to Heavy Equipment Transport tires. "I would say our guys change 200 tires a week," said Capt. Thomas Krenz, the maintenance platoon leader of Battery C. "We go through close to 300, because some people come and do a one for one swap and actually take the tire, go to their motor pool and do it themselves."

Customers line up long before the shop opens, awaiting the arrival of the local nationals who work in the shop. Business runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. from Monday through Friday. The hours may seem short, but the Iraqi workers have to go through multiple checks which limits the amount of time they are able to spend at the shop.

Ironically the tire shop's biggest customers are their battery's own HET-trailers. "It is the smallest tire we stock," said Krenz. "Each trailer has 40 tires, and we have 60 trailers. If you do the math, we are changing quite a few tires on those every week."

Occasionally customers do come in with unusual requests, like trying to get tires for non-tactical vehicles, said Lowery.

"We have people that drop off tires and we don't see them for a month. We've got people that want 40 humvee tires, but they don't have one to give us," said Krenz. Receiving a used tire for the new one is key, because that is how the shop gets credit for the work they do and their budget is also based on the number of used tires turned in, Krenz explained.

Both officers are all for employing the locals. "The main reason why we do it is to put money back into the local economy," Lowery said. "It also establishes a rapport between us and the locals."

Rapport is actually established by both parties. Pfc. James Walder, a petroleum supply specialist with Battery C, has worked with the tire shop and the Iraqis for the past six months. He used to think that the U.S. should completely take over Iraq, and that all Iraqis hate the Americans. "Now working hand-in-hand with them every day I see that they are a lot like us. Poor, but a lot like us. They have the same needs and wants as us."

The locals appreciate the opportunity to work in the shop. "The work here is nice for me," said one of the Iraiqs, who has been nicknamed "Tim" by the Soldiers. He speaks broken English, but the smile on his face speaks for itself. "I like this job, it is good money," he added.

Tim is only 17, and he has greater plans for his future. He wants to go to college one day, and become a teacher, he explained. For now he is happy that he has a well-paying job that he likes, although he risks his life every day as he comes on post and works for the Americans.

The Soldiers and Iraqis running the tire shop are eager to help customers. All they ask is that customers bring in the old tires so they can do a one-for-one exchange, and if they need a tire with a rim, they turn in a tire with a rim in return.