 Military News
Two Indiana National Guard maintenance shops at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center keep Army units rolling along. Field Maintenance Shop 2, and Unit Training Equipment Site, won first place and first runner-up, respectively, in the Army's national maintenance excellence award. To the chief warrant officers who manage the shops, it is the Soldiers below and above them that made it happen. "They work hard, and they deserve it (the award)," said Chief Warrant Officer Linda Clayburn of her Soldiers. Clayburn is the FMS 2 supervisor. Chief Warrant Officer James Black, the UTES supervisor, credited his Soldiers' dedication and his superiors' support. "Our success here at the UTES can be attributed to Lt. Col. (Randy) Read and his support staff," said Black. Read oversees all maintenance shops throughout the state. "I'm proud of the people I got," said Black. "I have some of the best maintenance technicians in the state." Other than rolling vehicles, the Soldiers repair weapons and radios too. "Anything the unit has, like special equipment, we support," said Clayburn. Having a variety of equipment on which to work is an obstacle the mechanics overcome by working as a team. "Everybody works together; we're all family here," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Thomas, a wheeled mechanic at FMS 2. "If I know something another Soldier doesn't, he can come to me, or if I don't know something I can go to others." It's much the same way at the UTES according to Black, who trains his Soldiers to perform other jobs besides the ones they're assigned to do. "If this was a union shop, I'd be stuck," said Black. The UTES was hit hard by deployments with 30 of its 51 Soldiers deployed overseas. The same is true of the FMS with 10 of its 23 Soldiers deployed. "We still met mission; that's our job, and that's what we'll do," said Clayburn. In the last fiscal year, for which FMS 2 won its award, the shop inspected, serviced or repaired 953 customer maintenance job orders and calibration transactions. It also performed 29 recovery missions on Indiana highways and on Camp Atterbury. In addition, the shop assists units training and based at Camp Atterbury with maintenance support beyond a unit's capabilities. This support extends to all branches of the military services. FMS 2 is available, on average, 48 weekends out of the year with maintenance assistance ranging from technical advice and performing non-mission capable repairs. "We're your first place to go for maintenance when you're training on post," said Clayburn. While the FMS is like a local shop, the UTES is like a rental car store that loans, maintains and repairs unit equipment. In fiscal year 2007, the UTES serviced or repaired 786 maintenance jobs orders, and performed 30 recovery missions on Camp Atterbury. Both shops also helped with mobilized and deploying units, and units coming back from overseas. The Soldiers were proud of the awards the shops received. "I can't believe it," said Sgt. Daniel Rendon, an FMS 2 surface maintenance mechanic. "It shouldn't blow my mind, because I know how good we are." Rendon has more than 16 years of maintenance experience and has worked at the FMS 2 for 11 years. "It's real good; I'm quite pleased," said Staff Sgt. Larry Hammons, a UTES heavy equipment repairer. "It's a great reflection of the people at this shop," he said. The FMS and UTES, two award-winning shops, keeping the Army rolling along. ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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