Sebastian Hood

The Communication Maintenance job consists of two primary components: actual maintenance and the associated paperwork. Most of the maintenance involves typical electrical troubleshooting. It is crucial that the paperwork is accurate, including both the documents and the information contained within them, and that it corresponds to the correct equipment. Our team is responsible for providing this service to other units on the installation that are assigned to us for repair.

In my section, I developed templates to streamline the process for equipment that we were not authorized to work on. I also trained five individuals on the intricacies of our job, which included both the maintenance process in the shop and the correct handling of paperwork.

Additionally, I regularly interacted with customers who came in with maintenance requests, as we were largely responsible for determining whether we would accept certain pieces of equipment. This experience ensured that communicating with customers and clients was never an issue for me.

In contrast to my main job, during my time in Poland, I worked with the NGAT systems. Essentially, my role involved maintaining the electrical components of tanks and Bradleys. Due to a shortage of manpower, I was reassigned within my shop as needed during our rotation in Poland. Although I was not formally trained for this role like the actual 94Ys, I had to learn on the job over the course of nine months.

My experience there demonstrated my adaptability and ability to learn new skills quickly. I handled and repaired entirely new pieces of equipment, along with their test systems and parts. Additionally, I was responsible for turning in old parts and exchanging them for new ones, which made it crucial for me to learn the names and numbers associated with this job. I only returned to my regular position once we were back in the States.