Puerto Rico-based unit hones skil stripping vehicles for spare parts - Army reservists - Brief Article

FORT McCOY (Army Reserve Installation), Wisc.--Mechanics from the 264th Service Company (SC) out of Salinas, Puerto Rico spent their Annual Training stripping the vehicles for spare parts at Ft. McCoy, Wisc. The Puerto Rico-based reservists worked on skills that will help them with their unit and warfighting jobs during a four-week rotation supporting Operation Platinum Wrench (OPW) at the Installation Materiel Maintenance Activity (IMMA).

Approximately 105 reservists, members of the 264th SC, 65th Regional Support Command (RSC), spent two weeks last summer performing their annual training at the Reserve Installation.

Capt. James Groark, the 264th commander, said his unit came here because it is the only place in the U.S. Army Reserve Command that has a full-scale cannibalization point. A cannibalization point is similar to a civilian salvage yard, which stocks spare parts for future use.

"This is the only place we can train on our wartime mission and run a cannibalization point at full-scale, while working with direct support and general support maintenance companies," he said.

The 264th built shipping boxes or containers for shower and bath units, built shipping crates for the M915A4 glider kit project and built engine stands for engines for the glider kit. The glider kit material will be shipped to support OPW at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., and Fort Dix, N.J.

Spc. Juan Laboy, a storage and shipping technician, said members of the 264th met and trained with personnel from other units and worked with civilian personnel from the IMMA during their AT.

"We learn from the experiences of others," Laboy said. "We're having fun and getting some of the best training in our military career."

Mechanics from the 264th spent the AT stripping the vehicles for spare parts for the Direct Support and General Support maintenance companies.

Sgt. Christian Rivera, a 264th mechanic, said that the work gave him a chance to cross train into other areas. For example, he had to remove bolts before removing a protective rollover cage from a 10,000-pound forklift. The bolts are removed by melting them off with a welding tool.

"I haven't done a lot of this," Rivera said.

Ed Lukasek, IMMA Production and Control, said cannibalization points also serve other important needs. The parts inventoried may not exist anywhere else. Also, if the part is available new, it may come only as part of a whole set, not as an individual part.

"If we have the part in stock at the cannibalization point, we can send it to them for the shipping cost, which is usually much less than the cost of a new part"' Lukasek said. "They save not only the cost of the new item, but they don't have to pay for parts they don't need."

Spc. Anarldo Vasquez, a mechanic, said the soldiers benefited by having an extended period of time to work on projects.

"We're able to do a lot of things here that we're not able to do at our home station. At home station, we often have only weekend training, which is not conducive to doing larger or longer projects."

The 264th is one of the few bilingual units in the Army Reserve. The ability to speak English and Spanish enhances the value of the soldiers and their contribution to the Army Reserve.

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