18th CSSB wins 21st TSC maintenance excellence award

GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Hard work, sweat, a few tears and a consolidated motor pool were the key ingredients to the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion’s first place win in the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Army Award for Maintenance Excellence active-duty large unit category.

The AAME is a maintenance excellence award hosted by the chief of staff of the Army and selects the best maintenance program in the Army annually. At all levels, the units are judged on mission accomplishments, the effective use of maintenance resources, innovative management actions and quality of life programs.

“We are doing this not to blow our own horns but to recognize the unsung heroes of the 18th CSSB — the mechanics, clerks and maintenance managers who start early and work late daily. No one rolls without them,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darrin Garner, a native of Silverdale, Wash., who works as the battalion maintenance officer.

Competing for the AAME award helped jumpstart the battalion into creating a battalion-wide consolidated motor pool.

“We found the companies were doing their own thing. The creation of a consolidated motor pool allowed us to have one standard across the board. This helped the companies eliminate unnecessary steps in their maintenance programs,” Officer Garner said. 

The consolidation has exponentially improved the battalion’s overall readiness rate. The 18th CSSB has been able to sync battalion programs like driver’s training with the company schedules.  In addition to the prescribed load list, clerks for the companies are now all working out of the same office and are able to cross talk about tracking or dispatching parts to avoid unnecessary ordering. This in turn saves the companies and battalion money.

Even though each physical inspection brings extra work to the Soldiers, they are in high spirits.

“I feel like my hard work is being recognized. It’s great to have higher agencies come down and check out what we do here. I’m excited to be part of an organization that takes pride in its equipment and people,” said Sgt. Nitendra Prasad, a native of Honolulu, who works as the 1st Inland Cargo Transfer Company
armorer.

Judges from U.S. Army Europe will be inspecting the 18th CSSB at the next level of competition during the first two weeks of November.