Some go on to raise their right hand and join the Marine Corps, making the move from sedans and pickups to 7-ton trucks and humvees, a task that can take them around the world, including to Iraq.

In the Motor Transportation Maintenance Section here, music reverberates from the speakers of a nearby radio as the Marines incessantly work on the vehicles around them. The numerous types of vehicles they repair serve as a diverse reminder of the skills required of them.

They come from different backgrounds and lifestyles, but one thing they have in common is the reason they are there; to safeguard their fellow Marines.

Cpl. Kevin L. Kain is a noncommissioned officer in charge of a small team of Marines responsible for making repairs to Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. His team toils endlessly to maintain the military's new battlefield behemoth designed specifically to protect occupants from small arms fire and improvised explosive devices. Kain and the others, dwarfed by the vehicle's size, squeeze into and emerge from its little nooks and crannies as they make repairs.

The importance of their work means maintaining a schedule that begins before sunrise and finishes long after the sun falls beneath the desert landscape.

But, Kain and his team don't mind. He explained why in just three words.

"It saves lives," the Rock Island, Ill., native explained. "Knowing Marines are safe after a 500 pound bomb blast all because I am fixing a truck makes it all worth it."

Kain's coveralls, stained with grease and oil, make it obvious he's a hands-on leader who gets underneath the vehicles alongside the Marines who work for him.

His group was handpicked and sent to the company that constructs the vehicles to learn the basics of repairing them before coming to Iraq.

Cpl. KC R. Goble, a motor transportation mechanic with the team and a Green Springs, Ohio, native says he always enjoyed working with his hands and putting stuff together.

Goble is one Marine of many who found the inner workings of an engine far more interesting than other jobs the Corps had to offer.

Goble commented about the vehicle design as he inspected the inside of a wheel assembly. The vehicle is much larger and has less parts than the vehicles he is used to working on.

"I like how simple they are," explained Goble, a motor transportation mechanic with the company. "They have large parts that are relatively easy to fix."

Another member, Lance Cpl. Sean P. Jordan is a mechanic for International Truck Company in his civilian life and is a member of the Marine Corps Reserve.

He said what these Marines learn will help them in the civilian world. Jordan intends to return home to Anderson, S.C., to chip away at college and get his Automotive Service Excellence certification; an organization that sets the standard for mechanics in the United States.

Another member of the group, Lance Cpl. Joseph Saccardi, dreamed of being in the Corps since the age of eight, around the time Marines first stepped foot on Iraqi soil during Operation Desert Storm. Now that he is in, he said one of the things he enjoys is the tempo of working in a combat zone.

In this new war, he and the rest of his team play a crucial role repairing specific vehicles that are battle proven to save lives.

"It is great experience being out here," the Charlotte, N.C. native said, who joined the Marine Corps two days after graduating high school. "It's a high paced environment, but it keeps me busy."

Alongside the Marines are civilians who, due the importance of the vehicles, are sent directly from the factory to assist the Marines with major repairs and act as side-by-side teachers to the Marines.

"It is just a matter of time before they are completely up to speed on it," said Jose M. Marin, a field service representative from Force Protection Incorporated. "It won't be long until they are up to the level they do not need us."

However, the Marines themselves will always be needed. Every time a repaired MRAP leaves the section, more Marines are protected from the blast of an IED.

"It feels pretty good helping everyone else beyond the wire," Saccardi said. "I make sure they are safe to drive and well maintained. These vehicles save lives."

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