Mechanics Keep 3-1 Cav. Regt. Rolling at COP Cashe

By Spc. Ben Hutto
3rd Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – The mechanics of the Forward Support Element, 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, hit the ground running every day at Combat Outpost Cashe.

The five-man section is currently attached to Troop C, but also services Headquarters Troop as part of their daily operations.

“We fix everything that is brought to us,” said Sgt. Nathan Gurganus, from New Port News, Va., the acting team chief of the mechanics. “Nothing under our care stays down long out here. We do QA/QC (quality assurance/ quality control) checks on vehicles everyday of the week so we can find little things before they become big things.”

According to Gurganus, his Soldiers understand how important their job is and never cut corners to lighten their workload.

“We make sure everything is running right so Soldiers can stay safe out there,” said Pfc. Daniel Phillips, from Stafford, Va., one of the FSE mechanics. “We check out everything to make sure that our guys have sound vehicles. Those guys depend on us to make sure their vehicles don’t break down out there. Outside the wire isn’t the place to discover a problem. We make sure that never happens. There is no little problem out here. Everything has to be right all the time.”

In addition to making sure equipment is sound, Sgt. Stewart Atkins, from Hampton Va., emphasizes to his Soldiers how quick their turnaround has to be when they are working on a vehicle.

“The job has to be done quickly out here,” Atkins said. “There is no ‘We will do it tomorrow.’ We get things in and we get them out. We view the vehicles we work on as mission-essential pieces of equipment and make sure they are back in the fight as quick as possible.”

One of Gurganus’s mechanics, Pfc. Brad Wittendorf, from Constantine, Mich., expected his first deployment to be a challenge.

“I was expecting a lot of work when we got out here,” Wittendorf said. “They haven’t let me down. They keep the work coming. We work seven days a week.”

In addition to being busy, Wittendorf explained that the conditions are a lot more difficult to work in than back home at Fort Benning, Ga.

“Being out here makes our jobs a lot more difficult,” Wittendorf said. “We don’t have bays and we need to be a lot more conscious of the dust. I like it now that is getting cooler. It’s a lot easier to work in.”

Gurganus is also glad that the weather is starting to cool off. He explained that the heat has been a major risk for his mechanics since the day they arrived at COP Cashe. He admitted that crawling under vehicles in hot sand and gravel can be hard, but explained that the situation has gotten better as COP Cashe’s conditions have improved.

“We had no A/C (air conditioning) in our work tents our first two months out here,” Gurganus said. “It was tough. The amazing thing is that we didn’t have one heat casualty. We would work and drink water, work and drink water. We did it all day and it worked out for us. The first couple of months were a little rough, but we have got a good system set up now. We work a lot of hours, but in the end we are getting the job done and keeping our Soldiers rolling. Being this busy isn’t a bad thing. By keeping our minds busy, it helps the time go a lot faster.”

The 3-1st Cav. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Inf. Div. from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V since March.