TLSC-E employees receive arms training

by Sgt. Frank Sanchez III

21st TSC Public Affairs

Maintenance personnel from various Army installations throughout Germany who are assigned to the 21st Theater Sustainment Command’s Theater Logistics Support Center-Europe gathered at the Rod and Gun Club on Vogelweh from June 1 to today to learn more about the finer points on maintaining small arms weapons systems.

A training team from the Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command from Rock Island, Ill., traveled to Kaiserslautern to provide a three-week sustainment level maintenance course to the 11 personnel.

The TLSC-E employees are being certified to work on many various types of small Army weapons systems from the smaller M9 millimeter pistol and the large or M249 squad automatic weapon. The weapon systems are being broken down into their smallest components to be inspected, maintained and repaired if needed.  
Marco Hoppe, the supervisor for the small arms maintenance shop in Kaiserslautern, works directly with Soldiers in the arms rooms to help repair broken weapons. He said he believes this course will help all the participants in small arms maintenance support within the 21st TSC. 

“I am feeling very comfortable with this because we are tearing down the weapons to the 20 level where everything is torn apart and built back from the bottom. That is good stuff,” Mr. Hoppe said.

Tech. Sgt. Scott Brown, non-commissioned officer in charge of combat arms on Ramstein, said this is the first time the Rod and Gun Club complex has been utilized in a partnership between the TLSC-E and the Air Force.

“It has been great. The folks over there came to us with what they needed, and we were able to provide for it. What we didn’t have they were able to produce for us,” Sergeant Brown said.

The class is important for the TLSC-E as their Maintenance Activity Center is assuming the responsibility for the backup small arms repair for the Kaiserslautern and Wiesbaden areas of responsibility.