23rd LRS back shop volunteers to rebuild M-35

MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- One of Moody's maintenance back shops recently volunteered to undertake a project out of their realm of expertise. 

The 820th Security Forces Group needed maintenance on one of its M-35 two-and-a-half ton troop transport / cargo trucks, and the 23rd Logistics Readiness Squadron fire truck maintenance shop jumped at the opportunity. 

"All the other shops that could do the work were backed up or didn't have the manning to support the job in a timely manner," said Staff Sgt. Jason Zollman, NCO in charge of the fire truck maintenance shop. "Since we didn't have a whole lot to get done at the time, we could finish the job a lot quicker than anyone else potentially could." 

After accumulating 107 man hours of maintenance, the M-35 had a rebuilt engine, new brakes and clutch, plus improvements on the axle and seals. Although the shop normally works on fire trucks, forklifts and pay loaders, the Airmen felt they had the necessary expertise to get the job done properly, said Airman 1st Class Adam Walker, fire truck mechanic. 

"All of the maintenance was wrench and mechanical work, so it was pretty much the same concept as the maintenance we do on a normal basis," he said. 

The job also gave some of the less experienced Airmen a chance to learn how to do work on a vehicle they may not see often at Moody, but they would definitely encounter on a deployment, said Sergeant Zollman. 

"A lot of the vehicles we work on don't have a clutch, so it was a great training experience," he said. "Our main focus was to train the Airmen who didn't have any experience on an M-series (vehicle)." 

The engine rebuild was an especially rare training experience for the Airmen, said Lenon Harvey, fire truck mechanic. 

"On average, we don't get the opportunity to do engine rebuilds because those jobs are taken by other shops," he said. "It was a great training project." 

Although other shops could have undertaken the job, the fire truck maintenance shop volunteered because they understood the 820th SFG needs as many vehicle as possible for training. 

"The 820th (SFG) needs all their vehicles in working order, so they can take what they need on deployments but still have some available for training here on base," said Sergeant Zollman. 

However, it's not just one LRS shop that understands the high demands of the 820th SFG, said Col. John Decknick, 820th SFG commander. 

"The (23rd) LRS is behind the scenes in almost all of our combat training and preparation, and we could not do our job without their help," he said. "I saw the same 'can do' attitude from them that permeates the base. Whether in combat or at the main base, Team Moody leverages multiple job specialties to make the mission happen."