Eighteen Soldiers from D Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion (GSAB), Utah Army National Guard, spent two weeks at the Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Texas, in November 2017 in preparation for mobilization.
The tight-knight group worked alongside hundreds of Army Civilians in a visit that was part of the Soldiers’ annual training. As they prepared for their June 2018 deployment to Iraq, the Soldiers received in-depth training from experienced aircraft mechanics and engineers.
“Our new Soldiers need to get their hands dirty and expand their knowledge of aircraft maintenance before our deployment,” said SFC Jesse Martinez, a component repair supervisor with the unit.
Soldiers of the 2-211th GSAB have experienced repair training through field exercises and weekend drills, but nothing as detailed as what is offered at CCAD.
CW2 Jon Creager said the continuous maintenance of aircraft components was a great training tool for the team.
Joining National Guard units from five other states, the 2-211th GSAB will mobilize next spring at Fort Hood, Texas. Under the 35th Infantry Division, the unit will be stationed at Camp Taji, Iraq, in support of Operation Spartan Shield (see page 22 for the full story on Operation Spartan Shield). The 2-211th GSAB unit will be on the front lines in the continued global effort to defeat ISIS.
A majority of 2-211th GSAB Soldiers are junior enlisted who have limited experience with hands-on aircraft maintenance.
“The opportunity to replace broken parts, use new tools and utilize new techniques [is rare for us],” SPC Sean Dransfield said. “This work is very beneficial and more advanced than what we see on drill weekend.”
At the CCAD, most troops concentrated on engine assembly and composites, along with blade, structural and skid repair of the UH-60, AH-64 and CH-47 helicopters. The chance to work on wiring, soldering and installing was a good refresher for the aircraft electricians and avionic mechanics of the unit.
SFC Martinez noted that their upcoming deployment will be the first for most members of the unit, and that additional training before mobilization was crucial.
“Last week, they replaced a 308 Mainframe, which supports a majority of the structure, and worked on hydraulics,” Army Civilian and lead mechanic Joseph Gonzales said. “CCAD personnel can [teach the Soldiers to accurately] troubleshoot once they are in the field if we can pinpoint the problems here first.”
BY SGT Matthew Magreta, CORPUS CHRISTI ARMY DEPOT
