TF Dagger mechanics keep IASF vehicles rolling

LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Task Force Dagger’s operations in south eastern Afghanistan require vehicles to drive long distances over extremely rough terrain; and maintenance on these vehicles is both difficult and necessary.

The maintenance section of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, dubbed Task Force Dagger, provides this critical maintenance support on Forward Operating Base Shank. However, they support not only the Dagger Battalion but also the Czech Republic army, the Jordanian army and Afghan National Army on the FOB.

“Working in the motor pool is fun, and I enjoy working with other coalition forces,” said U.S. Army Pfc. Antonio Araguz, an automated logistics specialist from Brownsville, Texas, currently assigned to HHC, TF Dagger.

Since the Task Force began combat operations in early November, the maintenance section has serviced more than 270 vehicles. Every time a vehicle leaves the FOB to conduct a patrol, the first stop upon returning to the FOB is the Dagger motor pool. The mechanics give every vehicle a thorough inspection, called “10 points,” and fix any problems they can on the spot.

“The ‘10-point’ inspections are something we used in our last deployment,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Benjamin Cvek, the Dagger Battalion’s motor sergeant from New Llano, La., who is on his second deployment with TF Dagger. “It allows us to fix any issues or problems from the previous mission and prepares the unit for the next mission,” saying the “10-point” inspections have been a major factor in the high readiness rate of the battalion.

The Dagger Battalion provides a wide variety of skills to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, and with this variety of skills come a variety of equipment. The Dagger mechanics get the unique opportunity to work on highly specialized military intelligence, signal and route-clearance equipment for the brigade’s combat engineers.     

“There are many different and new types of equipment here that many of us have never worked on before, but everyone is adapting quickly and learning even quicker,” said U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Willard Blair, the Dagger Battalion’s maintenance technician and motor officer from DeRidder, La. “I believe everyone will leave here knowing a lot more than we did before we left Fort Polk.”

The mechanics also have the responsibility of training the battalion’s drivers in how to properly operate the equipment. The mechanics just completed a 40-hour block of instruction on one of the new mine resistant ambush-protected vehicles the battalion received in Afghanistan. This training ensures all vehicle operators have the knowledge to drive their MRAP vehicles safely, potentially avoiding fatal accidents.  

The motor pool will continue to provide 24-hour maintenance support and driver’s training for the remainder of the yearlong deployment.