Providers give Soldiers necessary tools to complete missions

Capt. Amanda Nalls
210th BSB, 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI)

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq — While the Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (LI) continue to push farther into sector in order to defeat the enemy, other Soldiers are working behind the scenes to help accomplish missions.
The 210th Brigade Support Battalion’s, 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI), Armament Repair Section is developing innovative ways to ensure that the Iraqi Army soldiers have the tools necessary to complete their mission.
In addition to their day-to-day work - repairing and modifying weapon systems within the brigade - the armament section has turned their attention towards repairing weapons in support the Iraqi Army.
After enemy weapons are seized from weapons caches by the maneuver units within the brigade, the weapons are brought to the armament team for inspection and repairs.
To date, the team has inspected 170 weapons, repaired at least 40, and re-issued over 70 back to the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Special Forces.
The project, which will ensure that the Iraqi Army is armed and prepared to defend themselves against Anti-Iraqi Forces, will continue to grow in magnitude as more enemy weapons are captured throughout the brigade’s area of operations.
“My Soldiers are really working hard to complete this mission in addition to their normal job repairing weapons for the brigade,” Chief Warrant Officer Christopher Shaffer, a 210th BSB armament repair technician and native of Alliance, Ohio said. “We have a small section, but they do an amazing job with the resources they have to work with.”
In just a few short months, the Soldiers of the Armament Repair Section have made a lasting contribution to their fellow Soldiers and have made great strides in furthering the fight in the Global War on Terror.
“We’re focusing our efforts forward,” commented Lt. Col. Brian Rogers, the 210th BSB commander, and native of Bozeman, Mont. “This is the critical year in Iraq and the Provider Battalion is going to make a difference.”
With that guidance in mind, the Armament Section has made every effort to ensure that the Soldiers of the 2BCT, as well as their Iraqi Army counterparts, have some of the most accurate and well-maintained weapons in theater.