Air Force colonel re-enlists Airmen on Army tank

Courtesy Photo | Airmen of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group climb into a tank for a ride after a ceremony where Soldiers of 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were awarded for preparing the tank that was used in a 506th AEG re-enlistment ceremony on Forward Operating Base Warrior, Iraq, April 09, 2010.  

KIRKUK, IRAQ

04.23.2010

Courtesy Story

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

By 1st Lt. Baron Cole
1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

KIRKUK, Iraq - Soldiers from Company Delta, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were awarded certificates by Air Force Col. Leonard S. Dick of the 506th Air Expeditionary Group for using their time to prepare an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle tank for an Air Force re-enlistment ceremony.

Following the ceremony, tank commander Staff Sgt. Brian Rogan of Company D, 1/30 Inf., gave the Airmen a quick briefing about the capabilities of "the Army's most powerful direct-fire weapons system."

Immediately after the briefing, the airmen got to ride the demonstration tank in both the loader and gunner stations.

The theme of the day was inter-service cooperation; the Airmen were interested in learning more about what the Army does.

"It definitely wasn't my motorcycle! Getting on one (tank) was the highlight," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Dan Hayes of 506th AEG, who is a native of San Antiono, Texas.

"We're trying to broaden our experiences and get a feel for what other people do," said Air Force Tech. Sgt Stephanie Hoffman of the 506th AEG.

"It was interesting. I've flown in support of Army armor for over 20 years during stateside exercises, Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom and this was the first time I got to see it from the Soldier's perspective," said Dick.

• Date Taken: 04.23.2010
• Date Posted: 04.23.2010 08:04
• Story ID: 48573
• Location: KIRKUK, IQ