Photo By Lt. Col. Timothy Irish | FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGE, Kajaki District, Helmand province, Afghanistan -...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGE, Kajaki District, Helmand province, Afghanistan - Steep slopes, tiring hills and vast fields to tread on patrol wear a Marine out in rapid succession. For most Marines, the terrain is what they expected of the Afghan landscape prior to deploying but no less daunting. Battery E, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marines, man hilltop fighting positions and can only be resupplied by helicopter due to their isolated location.
Moving supplies out of a landing zone and into the proper place takes a resource Echo Battery is short on: Marines and time. The supplies coming in would have to be painstakingly moved by hand if it weren’t for one Marine.
Lance Cpl. Carlos Tonche is the definition of a “force multiplier,” serving as a heavy equipment mechanic with Echo Battery. He operates and repairs construction equipment such as forklifts, bulldozers and backhoes. Today he is fixing a backhoe leftover from a British unit more than three years ago.
“I make life easier around the forward operating base; loading and unloading cargo, supplies, mail and ammo, digging ditches or gun-lines for the howitzers and moving fuel drums,” said Tonche. “The job I do makes the workload of the squads that go out on patrols a lot lighter.”
“For instance, if we get 4,000 pounds of tri-walls in while they are out on patrol, it would take a 12-man working party two hours to move all of that without me,” said Tonche, a native of El Paso, Texas. “When I help out, all I need is one other person as a guide; the job will be taken care of in 15 minutes and Marines can rest.”
Tonche explained at first the other Marines on base didn’t quite understand what his role was.
“It’s a morale deal,” said Gunnery Sgt. Ray Robinson, the platoon sergeant for Headquarters Platoon and a native of Lake Charles, La. “When we didn’t have a forklift, the Marines were offloading things from the helicopters. When the flights came in late at night, the Marines were up late at night. Daytime in the heat offloading supplies from helicopters affects them; of course these Marines have to go on patrol, but Tonche can get it done in 15 or 20 minutes.”
Moving supplies around the base isn’t the only challenge Tonche faces. The expeditionary nature of Forward Operating Base Zeebruge often requires him to be creative to keep his machinery running.
“I had to improvise using that backhoe,” said Tonche, a 2007 graduate of Steve F. Austin High School. “It is a leftover British piece of equipment. I can’t repair as much out here because we don’t regularly get parts; so, I have to make quick combat patches, like wiring around electrical shorts.”
Tonche had no formal training on how to operate or maintain the backhoe. He taught himself how to drive it and searched the internet for information on parts and maintenance. Like all good Marine Corps mechanics he is constantly scrounging for parts.
“One of the sergeants with the landing support unit is a reservist whose civilian job is a JCB mechanic,” said Tonche. “I got him to order us parts from home so we can give the backhoe a proper tune-up.”
The young Marine is still two months shy of two complete years of service in the Marine Corps. He uses his ingenuity and confidence to tear into the work before him.
“With a diminished capability backhoe, which has only front wheel drive right now, I had to move all the new reefers [refrigerators] into place and the old ones to the militia house. It was a fun task but I look at it more as a puzzle,” said Tonche. “It is a puzzle because everything is more challenging, seeing as how I’m only running on front wheel drive. The rear axle had broke earlier.”
Hand-eye coordination, the ability to multitask and focus are required to safely operate the heavy equipment within the confines of FOB Zeebruge’s cliff-side expanses. Failure to maintain control means men and equipment are at risk of going over the edge.
“The reefers were so big that you can’t see around them. You have to trust your ground guides. You have to trust that you know the terrain that you are already driving on,” said Tonche. “It was scary but a pretty fun achievement.”
Tonche does not restrict himself to his primary duties of heavy equipment repair. He performs other duties in his service to his fellow Marines.
“He helps serve chow. He helps out in supply,” said Robinson. “He helps out the motor transportation Marines.”
Tonche can even be seen with the ammunition technicians helping to stack artillery rounds. With all the work he does to assist others, he turns his attention back to a flat tire and a broken axel.
“He took it on his own initiative to get the tires patched [on the backhoe],” said Robinson. “The civilians down the hill have tools we don’t have to fix the British backhoe and he made a relationship with them. Just by talking to them he was able to find out what they were able to do to help us.”
A 200-pound tire is effortlessly flipped through the air as Tonche scrambles to fix the JCB-4CX backhoe. He then moves to hold up a rear drive shaft.
“This piece fell off the day we got here so the backhoe is only powered by the front wheels. I made some calls and found the right nut,” said Tonche. “Another piece is coming in from Camp Leatherneck. As soon as I get it I can leave the wire again and drive up to The Shrine.”
Tonche finishes replacing the tire and adds oil to the backhoe before jumping in the cab and driving away to retrieve more supplies. The base is quiet, except for the sound of Tonche’s backhoe, as the other Marines rest after early morning patrols. As long as there is sunlight out, he moves swiftly to put things in their proper place so other Marines don’t have to.
| Date Taken: | 08.11.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2011 17:07 |
| Story ID: | 75276 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE ZEEBRUGE, KAJAKI DISTRICT, HELMAND PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 515 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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