The regularly-scheduled artillery training enables Marines to maintain their operational readiness to respond to any contingency where artillery would be required.

Gunnery Sgt. Andrew A. Vaughn, maintenance chief of Armament Repair Platoon, Artillery Section, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistic Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, deployed with a team of four Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF, to provide third- and forth-echelon maintenance support for the M777 Howitzers used during the ARTP exercise.

The team handles the maintenance work Marines on the gun line and Marine mechanics typically working on the guns are not equipped nor permitted to do.

"Third- and fourth-echelon maintenance is the most in-depth and complex form of maintenance done on this weapon system by Marines in the MLG," Vaughn said.

In past exercises, when a weapon system would encounter a problem requiring third-echelon maintenance, the parts and mechanic would have to be flown in from Okinawa which usually did not end up happening, said Lt. Col. Sean D. Wester, the commanding officer of 3rd Bn., 12th Marines.

"Typically, if a gun malfunctioned and needed third-echelon work during an exercise, it would be down for the duration of the deployment," he said.

The artillery battery puts a significant amount of wear and tear on the weapons so the chances of encountering a weapon malfunction remains high, Wester said.

"We work the howitzers hard, putting a lot of rounds through them. We expose them to rough terrain and severe weather," he said.

By deploying with the artillery unit, the maintenance team can disassemble and reassemble the howitzers near the gun line, said Vaughn. The mechanics are able to handle maintenance issues with the electrical systems, hydraulic systems and the optics.

Having Marines from Ordnance Maintenance Company deploy with an ARTP exercise is rare and has not happened for several evolutions of the program, Wester said.

Some third echelon-maintenance Marines will go their entire enlistment working on the howitzer and never see it fired so this is a unique opportunity for them, said Vaughn.

Having this team deploy for the exercise is similar to bringing your own mechanic on a road trip, said Wester.

"These Marines can do much more than just change a tire," he said.

The team is able to keep the howitzers operating efficiently in action and allows for faster turn-around for getting them back to the firing line when they go down.

The ARTP exercise serves as training for the artillery unit, and the maintenance Marines who deploy to support them benefit from the experience as well, Vaughn said.

OMC supports the entire III MEF to include operations in Afghanistan and Iraq and the best way to prepare for these theaters is to perform maintenance in the field during ARTP exercises, said Vaughn.

"We will deploy to Afghanistan with much larger numbers and more equipment, and Marines need to be prepared," he said.

"We are learning just as much from the Marines that conduct second-echelon maintenance on the gun line as they are learning from us," said Lance Cpl. Justin A. Guy, a towed artillery weapons technician with OMC. When the team is back at the third-echelon shop, they are not able to gain any experience from Marines that regularly fire the weapon.

By having this opportunity, the OMC Marines are able to get out and see how the artillery Marines operate, said Vaughn.

"We get to learn what the second-echelon maintenance Marines do on a day-to-day basis and how it wraps into what we do, and that is some of the best training we can get."