E Co. recovers 103 disabled vehicles

Spc. Hailey Hoard (from left), Sgt. Carl Brown, Spc. Joshua Zwierlein and Sgt. Jeff Dilcher are members of E Co, 10th BSB (2-22 IN FSC), which has conducted a total of 103 vehicle recovery missions since it took over operations in early October. Eagle Company's Maintenance Platoon has two recovery experts, Dilcher of Tiskilwa, and Brown of Casper, Wyo. (Photo contributed)

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FOB WARRIOR, Iraq — E Co, 10th BSB (2-22 IN FSC) has conducted a total of 103 vehicle recovery missions since it took over operations in early October. Eagle Company’s Maintenance Platoon has two recovery experts, Sgt. Jeffrey Dilcher of Tiskilwa and Sgt. Carl Brown of Casper, Wyo., who are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Dilcher and Spc. Joshua Zwierlein of Rochester, N.Y., make up one recovery team while Brown and Spc. Hailey Hoard of Burley, Idaho, make up the other.

These recovery teams have adapted well to the ever-changing environment they face. There is no telling which type of recovery mission will suddenly occur, so the soldiers must be knowledgeable on all types of equipment used by the brigade. New equipment, like mine rollers and MRAP’s requires different techniques and procedures in vehicle recovery. Brown acquired better chains and a special purpose tool kit for his M1074 PLS and Dilcher modified his M984 HEMTT Wrecker to carry more items like spare tires, special tools and parts. Also the recovery team added more lights to better assist in spotting IEDs. The company welder, Sgt. Desuza, has fabricated ramps for the PLS to cut down on the time it takes to upload a vehicle, and more recently installed to assist in pulling a down vehicle on the the PLS pallet.

Another improvement the teams have made in the past 10 months is reaction time.

“We have our reaction time down to four minutes,” Dilcher said, “which is a great improvement from their first mission. This means that in four minutes the team will be waiting for their escort in their truck with full body armor and weapon. The escort, whether that is a Quick Reaction Force or the CSE (convoy security element) platoon, has never had to wait on the recovery team. This is important because when a vehicle is disabled out in sector, a quick reaction time may be the difference between life and death.”

The Eagle Maintenance Recovery Teams have undoubtedly provided an invaluable service to the soldiers operating on FOB Warrior and within the 2nd Battalion 22nd Infantry’s area of operation. These soldiers are professionals and are serious about their jobs. When asked to describe his work, Brown commented, “It’s like being a medic. We love our job, but never want to do it because it means something bad happened.” Dilcher and Brown both attribute their success to their soldiers who work unceasingly to ensure their equipment is always ready.

Both the leaders and soldiers are constantly thinking of ways to improve on the systems they already have in place. They are also searching for new equipment to make their work more efficient. One of the additions in equipment is the M88, a tracked recovery vehicle that is capable of recovering and lifting an MRAP on to a flat bed trailer. There is no doubt that these soldiers will continue to improve and find more ways to support their brigade.