CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait –
Soldiers from the 38th Infantry Division serving with Task Force Spartan in Kuwait repair and maintain military vehicles to ensure the soldiers are mission ready for any contingency.
“We serve as the direct maintenance support for all 38th Infantry Division equipment serving Task Force Spartan. We support three different countries, ensuring they have everything they need to respond to any crisis,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ronald M. Boland, of Indianapolis and the division's maintenance chief.
Doing the work, servicing the vehicles in 100-plus degree heat of Kuwait, the 38th mechanics made certain that the Army could keep rolling along.
“If you don’t you do your A-service, it will let you know when it’s due. This environment is a lot harsher than stateside. The temperature, the environment, the sand, yes, all that plays a factor. It’s a lot harder on the vehicles,” said Sgt. Jeremiah Buzzard, maintenance inspector from Trafalgar, Indiana.
In training to support Operation Spartan Shield maintenance division soldiers gave their vehicles a thorough once over prior to sending them from Indiana to Kuwait.
“Leading up to the deployment we had to technically inspect on the vehicles assigned to us to identify what was capable of going and what needed to be fixed before shipping the vehicles," said Buzzard.
Every training day in the past year that 38th soldiers attended prepared the maintainers to execute this mission with knowledge, proficiency and ingenuity.
“All of our training leading up to Task Force Spartan maximizes our capability to maintain readiness. Our 38th Infantry Division soldiers did a lot of heavy training in a short amount of time leading up to the Task Force Spartan mission maximizing our capability to maintain readiness for any regional aggression," said Boland. "This team brings an extra level of ingenuity to the Task Force Spartan mission because often we work with limited resources on our drill weekends with the Indiana Army National Guard.”
Task Force Spartan is a unique, multi-component organization, made up of active Army and National Guard units, rounded out by U.S. Army Reserve support units. The soldiers' mission is to help build partner capacity in the Middle East, to promote regional self-reliance, deter regional aggression and to increase security.