MEDIA CONTEST: Hoo-rah, Marine Corps!

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ACC MEDIA CONTEST --  Extra headline: Marines from Detachment-1, Motor Transportation Maintenance Company, stationed at Dyess to train as warfighters, learn and perform preventive vehicle maintenance operations

One weekend every month, the dining facilities here are swarming with well-built Marines, dressed in woodland- and desert-colored digital utility uniforms, and a few Airmen have wondered why. It's because Marine Corps Detachment-1, Motor Transportation Maintenance Company, is stationed at Dyess - a reserve unit with a strong Esprit de Corps and a mission that requires stamina and fortitude.

"Our mission is to provide intermediate maintenance for the 4th Marine Logistics Group," said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Scott McCoy, Det-1, MTMC commander. "That group covers all the Marine Reserve units in the United States."

As Marines, however, vehicle maintenance comes second to their job as warfighters. The 112-member unit spends drill weekends conducting weapons qualifications, undergoing swimming and fitness tests, and preparing to deploy, along with studying and carrying out vehicle maintenance procedures, he said.

"We are called up when there are manning shortfalls and during times of need," Chief Warrant Officer McCoy said. "Most of the Marines here have been called up in the last four years because of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, and the ones who haven't yet will be soon."

He said 92 percent of the unit has been activated for 12-month deployments all over the world.

Vehicle maintenance in a deployed location is strenuous. Brakes and transmissions constantly wear out simply because of the harsh weather and terrain overseas, said Corp. Charles Kerry, Det-1, MTMC mechanic. Because Marines are located in the heart of combat zones, they are also subject to damage from hostile fire and other combat operations.

Like many Marine Reservists, Corporal Kerry has deployed so often that he's been on active-duty status for more of his four year time in the military than he's been on Reserve status.

He said he joined the Marine Corps when he was 17 years old with the intention of going to college. But after being deployed, he enjoyed active duty so much he accepted a one-year assignment as a staff member at the detachment and plans to pursue his college plans when he goes back to Reserve status.

"With the war going on and everything, we were getting activated so much I just figured I might as well go ahead and be active duty," he said.

He's not the only one who joined to get through college, he said. Many of the Reservists are full-time college students and have a diverse range of civilian jobs - everything from bartending to vehicle maintenance for major car companies in the Big Country.

"We have Marines coming to drill here from Dallas, Ft. Worth, Lubbock, Amarillo, Sweetwater, and many other surrounding cities and towns," said Gunnery Sgt. Javier Galvan, Det-1, MTMC supply chief.

"It's a pretty diverse group." Lance Cpl. Christopher Collins, Det-1, MTMC mechanic, said being a

Reservist is the best of both worlds for him because he loves the Marine Corps but can make a lot of money in the civilian world with the vehicle maintenance training he has.
But being Reservists hasn't given the Marines a lackadaisical attitude toward the military. Every one of them displays a "highspeed, low drag" approach to their occupation.

"We take our job as Marines very seriously," Chief Warrant Officer McCoy said.
As someone who's been overseas and been shot at, he knows being ready for war and being physically, mentally and emotionally fit is "of utmost importance."

"If you go into (a hostile environment) without being fit, you're probably not gonna survive," he said lightheartedly.

But his upbeat demeanor thinly masked the reality that Marines face danger often as a result of their position as infantrymen. Nevertheless, the camaraderie among them is strong and they frequently banter and joke among themselves. "You have to keep your spirits up when you're in this line of work," Chief Warrant Officer McCoy said. "(Joking around) like we do gets you away from your everyday job a little bit."

Their fun-loving spirit adds brevity to an otherwise stressful, high-ops tempo and keeps the Marines at Dyess busy during their weekend drills, he said.

"Our motto, Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful), captures the spirit of the Marine Corps. They're a great bunch," he said.