Iraqis Learn Humvee Maintenance Published Aug. 26, 2011 By Senior Airman Chuck Broadway 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force-Iraq / Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq Public Aff KIRKUK, AIR BASE, IRAQ -- Several U.S. Airmen at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq, are contributing to the Iraqi military's future by creating and instructing courses on several key aspects of maintenance and repair on the Humvee. With a fleet of more than 8,000 Humvees, maintenance will play a vital role in keeping the mission moving. Currently there are three courses, each a week in length. Training includes lessons on fuel pumps, brakes, tires and fuel tank maintenance, as well as common troubleshooting for each situation. Two days a week different instructors teach the Iraqi students how to fix a particular problem. At the end of each week the Iraqis are tested to assess their progress. "This training will give them the fundamentals of vehicle maintenance so they can troubleshoot and fix the systems they'll be dealing with once we're gone," said Tech. Sgt. David Townsend, shop foreman for vehicle maintenance at Kirkuk and one of the instructors. Most of the training is hands-on. This allows Iraqi vehicle maintainers to get up close with the equipment and ask any questions about a particular process. Sergeant Townsend, deployed from Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., said he prefers this method because it shows they really want to learn and also allows him to gauge their progress right away. "I teach them to start at the beginning of a system and work through that system until they find the problem, instead of diving in blindly and searching for the problem," Sergeant Townsend, a Windsor, Mo. resident said. "A lot of them already knew the answers to some of questions." Senior Airman Chris Berge, 321st Expeditionary Mission Support Advisory Group vehicle maintenance advisor, hopes these classes help the Iraqis realize that routine maintenance will extend the life of the vehicles. Airman Berge said gaining the Iraqi's trust is the most important obstacle to overcome in the early stages of advising. The U.S. military knows a lot about vehicle maintenance and in order to share that knowledge they must share a bond of friendship with the Iraqis. "When I first got here I had to gain their trust and let them know 'I'll take care of you, get you the training and make sure you understand the training'," said Airman Berge, a Big Bear Lake, Calif. native deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. "It's a big issue for them to understand and trust you and let you take over." Learning a specialized job is a somewhat different and new concept for the Iraqi maintainers. Maj. John Dautel, 321st EMSAG Det. 3 chief, said usually Iraqis with specialized skills are called to fix problems outside of their normal workplace and the advisors are trying to change that. "We've been working on the integration of shops," Major Dautel said. "Before, they would take guys from different shops. Now, we're training the Iraqis to get exactly what they need and other people can focus on their own expert fields." The Iraqis are very enthused and motivated to work, according to Airman Berge. But their fellow Iraqi air force members are still adjusting to the new way of doing business. "The Iraqi maintainers here are trained and ready to work on vehicles. They know their knowledge and can get vehicles fixed," Airman Berge said. Even though the Iraqis are limited on tools compared to U.S. vehicle maintenance shops, Airman Berge said it's surprising the amount of work the Iraqis get done with what they have. He said they're very smart to succeed with the tools they have. Once fully trained, the Iraqis will be able to fix most problems within 48 hours. Both Airman Berge and Sergeant Townsend feel the program is succeeding and progress is on track. The sergeants feel this experience has changed the viewpoints of the Iraqis and is a stepping stone to a fresh start. "It's a good feeling to help these people and not be viewed as the bad guys," Sergeant Townsend said. "We're giving them the opportunity to get their country back and start over. Hopefully they can prosper with their own independent country again and be our allies in the future."