Name: Mirco D’Aversa
Job title: Equipment Specialist and Quality Control Coordinator
Assigned: Army Field Support Battalion-Africa, 405th Army Field Support Brigade
Location: Leghorn Army Depot, Livorno, Italy
Experience: I’ve been working at Leghorn Army Depot with the Army since 1987. I started out working in maintenance as a body and fender repair helper. After that, I became a mechanic and then a team leader for the mechanics. Following this, for seven years I was a production controller and planner, and then I became an equipment specialist and quality control coordinator and have been performing these duties for the last 11 years.
Hometown: Livorno, Italy
Family: I am married, and my wife’s name is Cristina. I have one son and two step daughters. My stepdaughters’ names are Bianca and Rachele, and my son’s name is Simone. He is married to Alice, my daughter-in-law, and they have a son, Christian, my grandson. He’s two years old. I love them all very much.
Q: Can you explain what you do and what you are responsible for at AFSBn-Africa?
A: As an equipment specialist and quality control coordinator within the directorate of maintenance, I closely follow the workload being performed, the priorities set by the maintenance director and the battalion commander, and all the technical guidance concerning the vehicles being worked on – the medium tactical trucks, mine-resistant ambush protected all-terrain vehicles, Humvees and so on. I prepare and update equipment status reports, I review all documentation and orders to ensure the integrity of the data is absolute, and I conduct technical research and ensure the mechanics and maintainers have the most up to date information, references, bulletins and technical manuals. In addition to this, I coordinate with and direct five quality control inspectors who conduct inspections on all the vehicles coming out of the maintenance shops.
Q: Why is the mission of the directorate of maintenance, AFSBn-Africa, so important?
A: To me, the mission of the directorate of maintenance is really important because we provide the Soldiers with the vehicles they’ll use – either during exercises or during real-world contingency missions. What we issue them must be of the highest quality because when they use our vehicles, their lives depend on this equipment.
Q: What do you enjoy about your job, and what motivates you?
A: First of all, I believe working in the maintenance directorate – as an operational business – provides me with different challenges every day. Each day is different than the one before. In my position as an equipment specialist and quality control coordinator, I work directly with the supervisors and the director. They are all really professional and respectful, and they keep me involved in all aspects of the maintenance business. I’m very proud to work for the U.S. Army, and I’m very proud to work with this team. Everyone here is very professional and very hardworking. When I’m talking about everyone, I’m not talking just about the maintenance directorate. I’m talking about the entire battalion and the 405th AFSB – all the men and women, both Italians and Americans. They are all very professional, respectful and hardworking. I believe if you work here, you’ll enjoy every day. I love this place.
AFSBn-Africa and the 405th AFSB: Located at Leghorn Army Depot in Livorno, Italy, AFSBn-Africa is charged with providing and coordinating receipt, transfer, storage and maintenance of APS-2 to enable commanders to conduct unified action and a full range of military operations in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and joint forces. The battalion also provides and coordinates U.S. Army Material Command enablers in support of U.S. Army Europe and Africa through its Logistics Civil Augmentation Program, focusing primarily on operations in Africa. The 405th AFSB is assigned to U.S. Army Sustainment Command and under the operational control of the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa. The brigade is headquartered in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and provides materiel enterprise support to U.S. Forces throughout Europe and Africa – providing theater sustainment logistics; synchronizing acquisition, logistics and technology; and leveraging AMC’s materiel enterprise to support joint forces. For more information on the 405th AFSB, visit the official website at www.afsbeurope.army.mil and the official Facebook site at www.facebook.com/405thAFSB.