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| Soldiers make room in tactical vehicle for 15 to 20 passengers. |
| By Spc. Joshua R. Ford 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division |
| CONTINGENCY OPERATIONS BASE SPEICHER, Iraq, Oct. 19, 2006 -- When the order came down from higher headquarters to move detainees from Forward Operating Bases within the Salah ad Din Province, Iraq, to COB Speicher, paratroopers with the 82nd Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, had to come up with a method of transportation. With the order on the table, the welders and mechanics of the 82nd devised a plan overnight; a blueprint that would transform a locomotive-movement-tactical vehicle to transport 15 to 20 detainees. The vehicle would provide enough armor to ensure all of the detainees' safety while being transported down the dangerous bomb-infested highways and roads throughout the province. For 16 to 18 hours-a-day for 10 days, the service-and- recovery team worked to complete the vehicle. Two benches were installed back-to-back down the center of the vehicle bed. To keep the detainees safe, the paratroopers placed seatbelts for 20 personnel inside the vehicle. In case of an emergency and if all personnel needed to exit the back of the vehicle, a quick-release device was also installed. It enables every seatbelt to unbuckle simultaneously for a quick and safe exit. After the benches and seatbelts were installed, the armor was next. Before placing the armor plates onto the vehicle bed, they were cut and welded together for the perfect fit. “Getting all the heavy pieces into place was the hardest part,” said Spc. Chris Lupercio, metal worker in the service-and-recovery shop, Company B. A lot of manpower was involved in getting the armor plates onto the truck. After the three-eighths-inch sheets of steel were cut to size, three paratroopers and a forklift were required to place the 1,500-pound-armor plates onto the vehicle, said Chief Warrant Officer Jermon Rowan, the service-and-recovery shop's officer-in-charge. Once the armor was situated on the truck bed, the plates were welded together, creating a shelter of steel armor. As far as the 6-by-4-armor plates' capabilities, they are able to withstand small-arms fire and shrapnel from explosives or roadside bombs. With more than 6,000 pounds of extra weight added to the vehicle, the engineers of the modified LMTV have not noticed any difference in speed or performance of the vehicle, said Staff Sgt. Eugene Holman, the service-and-recovery shop's noncommissioned officer-in-charge. In case the vehicle needed to return to its original structure, the armor wasn't welded to the frame of the truck Knowing that the back of an LMTV can become very hot, the metal workers also placed an air conditioner in the back for climate control. The idea for the vehicle's design came from a medical-transport vehicle used to safely transport casualties, said Holman. |
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| Before the project, the leaders in the service-and-recovery shop got to hand-pick the paratroopers that were to work in their shop. The team’s leaders said if they didn't get to select who worked for them, projects, like the detainee vehicle, would be more difficult to complete. “Without the team we have, this wouldn't have been possible,” said Holman. “Everybody did their part to make this happen.” The detainee vehicle has turned out to be a great success, and all the paratroopers who put hard work into it have been recognized by their battalion commander for their contributions, said Holman. “The main intent in the creation of this vehicle goes back to treating the Iraqis with dignity and respect,” said Rowan. “Overall, we created a plan, executed the plan, and the plan resulted in a success,” said Holman. The service-and-recovery team said they will submit their design to the Department of the Army, hopefully making the transportation of detainees easier for the rest of the military services fighting in Iraq. |
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