Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Banzhaf | Sgt. Thomas Chamberlin (left), a tanker, and 1st Lt. Michael Boatright (right), a tank...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Brandon Banzhaf
3rd BCT PAO, 1st Cav. Div.
FORT HOOD, Texas – Four M1A2 Abrams roll down separate paths, staying aligned with each other.
Radio chatter filled with short, precise commands enables everyone to be on the same page.
Crewmembers in the tracked machines fire the 120mm main gun, raining havoc on confirmed targets.
Abram crews with Company D, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, completed their platoon qualification table, also known as Table XII, June 6, on Fort Hood, Texas.
“All of the platoons qualify on both day and night live-fire exercises,” said Spc. Jonathan Woods, a Jackson, Tennessee, native and tanker with Company D, 3-8 Cav. “With four tanks in a platoon and a crew of four soldiers in each tank, everyone has to be able to do their job efficiently at this range.”
Company D held its battlefield-simulated qualification at Clabber Creek Multiuse range for the day and night fire.
The platoon qualification table compiles all of the tasks and skills perfected on the previous individual and section level ranges, Table VI and IX.
“The crew needs to be able to communicate effectively with each other in order to get the tank to fulfill its role,” said Pfc. Andrew Latimer, a Fairfax, Virginia, native and tanker with Company D.
Latimer is the loader in his tank crew.
Latimer’s responsibilities are to not only load the correct ammunition, but also do it as fast as possible, in order for the tank to engage multiple targets as quickly as possible.
“Loading the rounds into the gun tube is physically demanding,” Latimer said. “The rounds we used today were high explosive anti-tank rounds that weigh about 84 pounds and Sabot rounds weighing about 62 pounds.”
Weight is not the only difference between the two rounds.
“The Sabot round contains a metal dart that is stabilized by fins and uses kinetic energy to destroy armored targets,” Latimer said. “It’ll penetrate through the armor and create a vacuum-like effect on its way out of the target.”
The high explosive anti-tank rounds consist of a shaped charge that is designed to penetrate the armor.
Once the round is loaded, the gunner takes responsibility and waits for the tank commander’s command to fire.
“I love pulling the trigger,” said Cpl. William Iorg, a Reno, Nevada, native and tanker with Company D. “Hearing the main gun is my favorite part.”
The gunner inputs the type of ammunition that is loaded and aims the gun.
“I have to make sure that I know what type of round is loaded into the breach,” Iorg said. “The rounds fly differently when they are fired. The HEAT round has an arch but the Sabot fires in more of a line.”
The Abrams are designed to fire in many conditions. Firing accurately while moving is one of those conditions.
“All I do is input the range and aim center mass on the target,” Iorg said “The computer calculates the crosswind, lead, barometric pressure, elevation and many other variables.”
The tank commander is last of the three Soldiers in the turret section of the tank.
The tank commander tells the gunner to fire, determines what round to use and directs the driver.
The driver’s compartment is isolated from the turret and relies on communications with the tank commander to head in the right direction.
Having the crew members in sync with each other allows all four tanks to simultaneously maneuver and fire at their targets.
During the training, after all rounds were spent, a compartment fire was simulated to evaluate the procedures the crews had in place.
The team evacuated, and those procedures included turning the engine off, repositioning the rounds, and grabbing sensitive items, said Sgt. Thomas Chamberlin, a Wheelersburg, Ohio, native and gunner.
Uninjured crew members evacuated the “casualty,” lifting him out of the tank to a safe distance. A guard pulled security as the rest of the crew provided casualty care.
When the tanks returned to the staging area, the company commander spoke with the tanker crews to express how he thought they performed.
“You guys did a great job out there, everyone did what they were supposed to do,” said Capt. Sean Clifford, commander, Company D. “I’m proud of you all.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2014 10:32 |
| Story ID: | 132888 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 283 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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