3-187 IN Forward Support Company keeps things running

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHARANA, Afghanistan – The Soldiers of Forward Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, are the battalion’s workhorses who use herculean efforts to keep things running.  

The FSC is critical to keeping the Soldiers fed and supplied with ammo; they also repair parts and other materials, all while conducting recovery operations for damaged or stuck vehicles.

FSC’s maintenance platoon has repaired many damaged vehicles, even devoting time to repair the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) High Mobility Multi Wheeled Vehicles, said U.S Army Staff Sgt. Gerals Bruse, an FSC mechanic from Beaverton, Mich.

“Our job is not often glorified, but without us, the Soldiers miss out on key quality-of-life opportunities,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Ettienne Ray, an FSC mechanic from Knoxville, Tenn.

The FSC mechanics are also responsible for keeping the generators running on all of the FOBs and district centers in western Paktika Province.  Ray and his team have repaired or replaced 18 different generator systems during the past four months.  

Without generators, the Soldiers operating at the FOBs would not be able to communicate both operationally and back home to their families, Ray said.

The FSC Soldiers also conduct combat logistics patrols in order to resupply the companies with their basic essentials: food, water, ammunition and repair parts.  The CLP’s are conducted three or four times a week to the required FOBs.

Additionally, the Soldiers are always on call to conduct combat recovery of a damaged vehicle; a task completed 10 times so far, said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Shawn Murk, FSC platoon sergeant from Cisco, Texas.

“When the larger operations are conducted, such as the 100-vehicle convoy to Kushamond or the operation to clear (routes) of all destroyed vehicles and other debris, the other jobs do not stop,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Cornelius Patterson, the FSC motorpool noncommissioned officer in charge from Miami, Fla.  “FSC is expected to fill all roles, and we never let them down.”