Texas National Guard members, Mozambique soldiers turn wrenches together

By Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon
Task Force Raptor

A Mozambique army soldier demonstrates how to balance a tire for U.S. Army Spc. Duston Sorrells, a mechanic with Task Force Raptor, 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard, during a vehicle mechanic seminar in Maputo, Mozambique, March 20, 2012. Task Force Raptor Soldiers took part in the seminar in support of Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa, whose mission includes building partner nation capacity. (Courtesy photo)
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MAPUTO, Mozambique (4/11/12) - Military mechanics have kept vehicles running ever since the introduction of mechanized vehicles into the military. Since then, their repair methods have changed just like the vehicles they’ve serviced.

Mechanics from the armed forces for the defense of Mozambique invited U.S. Soldiers from Task Force Raptor, 3rd Squadron, 124th Cavalry Regiment, Texas Army National Guard, to hone and share their skills in a vehicle mechanic seminar here recently.

Mozambique army 2nd Sgt. Alberto Manuel Antonio worked with U.S. Soldiers previously and said he looked forward to continuing the exchange with the Texas Guard members.

“I remember training with U.S. Soldiers last year,” Antonio said. “Since then I have used a lot of the methods taught, and now I look forward to reviewing some of them with these Soldiers this time around.”

U.S. Army Sgt. Cortland Fraser, a vehicle mechanic with TF Raptor, recalled dialing in the correct ignition timing of the engine as one of the most talked-about subjects at the seminar.

“Because of the heat and heavy use of the vehicles, a lot of head gaskets get blown,” Fraser said. “So we covered all the internal components, how to take them apart and put them back together, and then how to get the [ignition] timing right.”

Back home in Garland, Texas, Fraser works on 18-wheelers and often gets the opportunity to share his experience with new mechanics. Over the years he’s refined the way he imparts this knowledge.

“Whenever I go over vehicle repair with anyone, I start at the front and work back,” Fraser said. “I show them how to inspect all the components in order, because if you jump around, it’ll just cause confusion and you might miss something. This is how I shared what I knew with the soldiers here in Mozambique.”

Like their Mozambique counterparts, Fraser and other Soldiers from TF Raptor attended the seminar on behalf of their unit’s maintenance shops with the goal of bringing back what they had learned.

“It was good to learn how the Mozambique soldiers work on their vehicles,” Espinoza said. “It was also good to share my own techniques. I think that if I helped at least one soldier do something better, then I did my job because he will go back to his unit and share that with his soldiers.”

For three weeks the soldiers from both countries tightened bolts, aired up tires, gained a better understanding of their respective mechanical expertise and strengthened ties with fellow mechanics.

“At the end we exchanged unit patches, small gifts, and even emails to keep in touch and continue sharing better and new ways to keep our unit’s vehicles running,” Espinoza said.

TF Raptor’s Soldiers from the Texas National Guard are currently supporting Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa, whose mission includes enhancing partner nation capacity.

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