Maintenance is more than just turning wrenches, Shinseki said. He explained that preventive checks and services by operators keep the equipment running. Shinseki told the maintainers that their job was not a glamorous one and that it meant a lot of hard work. He related that he had shaken hands with many of those in the audience the day before when they went by his office during a Pentagon tour. Since 1982, the Army Award for Maintenance Excellence program has recognized the best in unit maintenance.
Units worldwide compete in either the heavy, medium or small category group.
The Ordnance Center and School, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., coordinates the two-phased awards program. The first phase is based upon a review of the Unit Maintenance Profile of each unit. Fifty-four packages were reviewed during the Phase One competition. Phase II is an on-site evaluation of each unit's maintenance program. The scores of the two phases determine both winners and runners-up.