JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ - Walking through the doors of the 402nd Army Field Support Brigade's Small Arms Support Center, the smell is unmistakable n the salty, acrid scent of weapons cleaner and lubricant fills the air.

Since May 2005, the soldiers and civilians working here have done more than fix weapons for the one or two problems they were brought in for; each time a weapon is serviced, it is carefully inspected for anything the operator might have missed.

"Instead of just checking to make sure that the weapons function … we're making sure they're perfect," said Spc. Clancy A. Pratt, a soldier from the 699th Maintenance Company, a unit from Fort Irwin, Calif. Pratt has worked at the center for the last four months.

Pratt, a resident of Lebanon, is one of three Army soldiers who work at the support center alongside seven Department of the Army civilians. Together, they service a full spectrum of Army weapons ranging from a pistol to a 120mm mortar.

To date, the facility has repaired more than 30,000 weapons and issued at least 8,700 more.

"We are the only location in theater that, if we cannot repair a weapon, we can replace it on the spot," said Michael D. Cohorst, the site lead for the support center.

Although the staff at the repair center can fix many weapons - sometimes rebuilding entire guns from a bare receiver and a box of parts - there are some weapons that cannot be fixed in theater.

These are shipped back to the U.S. for repair and rebuilding.

Part of the support center's mission includes installing special Army-mandated modifications to certain weapon systems - such as an upgrade for the M2 that gives the weapon a manual safety on the weapon's back plate.

Although the center services weapons from any military branch, it can only swap out entire weapons for Army units.

The 402nd's small-arms support center also provides a unique learning opportunity to many soldiers who work here alongside the experienced workers.

"I spent a year over in Korea," Pratt said. "That whole year hasn't touched what I've learned in the last four months."