FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. — The rumble of tank treads and a diesel engine broke the still air deep in the training area of Fort Indiantown Gap as Sgt. Ricardo Lindsay, a horizontal construction engineer with the 252nd Quartermaster Company, 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 213th Regional Support Group, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, familiarized himself with a piece of new equipment here Tuesday.
Lindsay, a Philadelphia native, turned up the earth as he conducted training on the M9 armored combat earthmover, an essential piece of equipment his unit will need to conduct their missions.
Lindsay said he is becoming acquainted with this new type of bulldozer, but he is most familiar with the D6 armored bulldozer.
"Becoming re-acclimated with this after doing route clearance and urban assaults, it's taking me a little bit of time, but I'm getting the feel for it," said Lindsay.
As the unit's only horizontal construction engineer, Lindsay is the sole operator of the armored combat earthmover.
"I back up off the uneven terrain, find a nice little pile to push into the ditch that's causing it to be uneven," said Lindsay. "And as I continue to move forward through the rivets and dips, the more I have to back up, reassess and push more dirt to make a smooth surface," he added.
When operating in a field environment, fuel service specialists store fuel for military vehicles in large bladders. To safely contain the bladder in case of a leak, the bladder is placed in a large trench with high berms. Lindsay creates those berms.
"I'm going to be their engineer to build the holding areas the fueling crews use for their bladders," said Lindsay.
Multiple deployments and over 10 years in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard have provided Lindsay with the experience to tackle his job.
Lindsay knows how to persevere through difficult training, which he demonstrated by operating the M9 armored combat earthmover for several hours non-stop. "You just got to strap your boot laces up and get the job done," said Lindsay.
Lindsay has served with several units within the 213th Regional Support Group, including the 228th Engineer Battalion and the 103rd Engineer Battalion.