Service News

Completes AIT course

Army Reserve Pvt. Brent W. Price has graduated from the Light-Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic Advanced Individual Training (AIT) course at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

The course is designed to train soldiers to perform maintenance, troubleshoot, and repair wheeled vehicles and related mechanical components, which include internal combustion engines and power trains, sparkand compression ignition engines, wheelhub assemblies, hydraulic-power brakes, suspension and steering systems, and learn to operate a wheeled vehicle crane, hoist, and winch assembly.

He is the son of Cheryl L. Price of Rossville.

Battles forest fires

Army Cpl. Jared Opheim of Flora is one of more than 500 soldiers from Fort Lewis, Washington, who have responded to the National Interagency Fire Center's request for military assistance in battling forest fires in that state.

He was deployed with Task Force Blaze to battle the forest fires in the OkanoganWenatchee National Forest near Winthrop, Wash.

Task Force Blaze received two days of field training before beginning to actively fight the fires on Aug. 17. They will be deployed for up to 30 days.