MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- When the axle on a seven-ton armored vehicle breaks while in garrison, it could potentially take days to receive new parts. The same part could take weeks to arrive at a forward operating base.
But Marine welders burn through delays caused by broken metal, helping to keep the units they support moving toward mission accomplishment.
Welders save the Marine Corps time and money by completing on-the-job maintenance, explained Sgt. Tim Montgomery, a heavy equipment chief with Combat Logistics Company 11, Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Squadron.
Welders contribute to the missions of the Marine Corps by acting as on-site repairmen. Their duties vary from mounting gun turrets on top of armored vehicles to welding a few beads of reinforcement on to metal plating to getting the aforementioned axle back on the road.
And these tasks can all take place in the relative safety of garrison duty. Welders get their boots on the ground, hands filthy and throw sparks in the air on the battlefield too.
"In Iraq, welders created mock designs of mine rollers and attached them to vehicles on patrol,"said Master Sgt. James Clark, the senior-enlisted advisor with CLC-11.
Mine rollers are safety devices placed on the fronts of armored vehicles or convoys. The rollers detonate improvised explosive devices before they damage vehicles and injure personnel, explained Clark.
“When it comes down to it, these are the people designing equipment that save peoples’ lives,” stated Clark.
In order to save lives, welders must ensure their own safety while working with metal that reaches temperatures of 3,100 degrees Celsius. Welders must wear leather gloves and sleeves, coveralls and face shields with dark lenses to protect their eyes from flashes of blinding infrared light.
Learning how to don all the safety gear and manipulate steel begins at the basic metal workers course, U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland.
During training, the Marines learn about various types of welding and soldering machines and multiple welding and cutting techniques.
The most challenging part of the school was mastering the armor plating techniques, explained Lance Cpl. Jonathan Snow, a welder with CLC-11.
Welders understand immediately the necessity of knowing how to repair armor plating, according to Snow, as the plating is used to protect vehicles and fortifications from enemy fire - underscoring the significance of Marine welders in the mission to protect Marines.