File:USMC-19898.jpg

English: Cpl. Stephen R. Uniszkiewicz, a 21-year-old from Centereach, N.Y, pumps oil to later be used on an engine block of an M88 Recovery Vehicle at Al Asad, Iraq. Uniszkiewicz is part of a crew M1A1 Main Battle Tank mechanics with the Twentynine Palms, Calif.-based Company C, 1st Tank Battalion, who spend countless hours ensuring the unit�s 68-ton tanks remain operational. Company C is currently attached to Regimental Combat Team 7, the U.S. military unit responsible for providing security and mentoring Iraqi Security Forces in western Anbar � an area more than 30,000 square-miles in size, or about the size of South Carolina, according to the Marines here. In addition to supporting the regiment �s infantrymen with massive amounts of firepower on the battlefield, Company C�s tanks and their crews are considered an invaluable asset to Marines �on the ground� � they add an extra layer of protection for patrols and convoys traveling Iraq�s bomb-laden roads. The unit�s mechanics log in 12-plus hour days, usually six or more days a week, turning wrenches and repairing parts to keep the 68-ton behemoths operational. The mechanics say that for every hour a tank is operated, about six hours of regular maintenance is required to keep the tank operable, �give or take.�