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***image1***Ruhi Rafat and his staff defended their project to higher headquarters for almost 20 years to get Soldiers out of the mud.
Their diligence paid off Feb. 28 when three transportation units of the 21st Theater Support Command moved into their new vehicle maintenance facility, Bldg. 93203 on Kleber Kaserne.
“It’s such a feeling. You just can’t imagine. It’s like the birth of your child,” said Mr. Rafat, 415th Base Support Battalion Department of Public Works’ installations management chief. “It’s fantastic knowing how hard we worked and then seeing the results, which will benefit Soldiers and the environment.”
Mr. Rafat said his staff documented and took photographs during these 20 years of the “less-than-desirable” working conditions endured by Soldiers assigned to Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 37th Transportation Command; 15th Trailer Transfer Detachment; and 66th Transportation Company, which recently returned from Iraq.
“For 20 years, we took pictures of these poor Soldiers sitting in the mud repairing vehicles, surrounded by mud puddles,” said Mr. Rafat.
There were two facilities that used to house these units. Each of these almost 50-year-old buildings had only one set of doors that were not high or wide enough to accommodate these units’ current vehicles. Maintenance had to be done outside in unpaved parking lots, even if it was raining, snowing or sleeting.
“The main thing is that we took the Soldier out of the mud,” said Hansludwig Braun, 415th BSB DPW civil engineer.
The new facility sports 22 drive-through bays, 11 doors at each side. These doors are tall and wide enough for all the units’ current vehicles. It also has two, overhead cranes to lift engines and other heavy components. Before, it was elbow grease and sweat that got the engines out of vehicles.
It has heating, latrines and showers, which both former facilities did not have. It has “real” offices, complete with walls and doors. In the old buildings, Soldiers sectioned office spaces with slate rocks. It has a suspended ceiling. The 1950s buildings had roof-tile coverings, which meant that when it rained Soldiers got out the buckets.
“This new facility allows Soldiers to work in a safer and more modern maintenance facility,” said Lt. Col. Stephen V. Smith, 37th TRANSCOM deputy commander. “Soldiers moving into this new facility will know that leaders care about giving them the professional work environment they deserve.”
The lighting in the new facility is far superior to the former buildings, and it has alarm systems and state-of-art equipment,
according to Mr. Braun.
These alarm systems, such as for fuel leakage and carbon monoxide, meet environmental and safety standards.
“Now, the alarm will kick off and alert everyone that there is carbon monoxide in the building,” said Staff Sgt. Duane C. Gates, HHC, 37th TRANSCOM motor sergeant. “Before, we only had air ducts and exhaust fans and even though we would turn on the fans there could’ve still been some carbon monoxide in the building so we would have to leave the doors open while we worked.”
Staff Sergeant Gates, who worked in the old building for more than a year, said that the equipment, especially the brake test stand, is another big plus of the new facility.
“It’s nice to have one in your own facility,” he said. “The other building didn’t have one so after you had worked on the brake components, you would have to drive the vehicle down the street to use someone else’s brake machine, and you might have something go wrong with the vehicle.”
These Soldiers also do not have to stop in the middle of repairing a vehicle to drive down the street to borrow special tools from the other transportation units because now they are all in the same building.
And, if they need assistance from other mechanics or supervisors all they have to do now is knock on the door.
