Assault Breacher Vehicle platoon clears the way

Photo By Cpl. John McCall | Marines with Assault Breacher Vehicle platoon, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Forward), stand in front of an ABV at Forward Operating Base Jackson, Nov. 28. ABV operators provide route clearance support to units throughout Afghanistan.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, AFGHANISTAN

11.28.2010

Story by Cpl. John McCall 

1st Marine Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, Afghanistan – For ammunition and supplies to be transported to Marines, the roads in Afghanistan need to be cleared of improvised explosive devices. With the assistance of the Marines of the Assault Breaching Vehicle platoon, safe travel on the roads is being made possible.

Their original job specialty is combat engineering, but during their seven-month deployment they are now dual-hatted as ABV operators with 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division (Forward).

“It was originally designed to clear mine fields but out here we use it to clear routes that are unsafe due to IED's,” said Sgt. Anthony Dicks, 25, a combat engineer from Baltimore, when asked about the ABV.

To become an ABV operator, Marines must undergo a two and a half month-long course, covering the many different capabilities of the vehicle, to include its weaponry.

Recently ABV's were used in Kandahar province to clear a route that hadn’t been safely traveled in over two years. Engineers made quick work of the route detonating seven IED's using mine clearing line charges and uncovering some IED's using the plow of the vehicle.

Areas that have IED's located within close proximity of each other, known as IED belts, are a big threat to both mounted and dismounted troops. Due to the added armor advantage the ABV has, it has just the right tools for the job.

“If there is a suspected IED belt somewhere we are usually called to come clear it,” said Cpl. Rocky Hanover, 21, a combat engineer from Okay, Oklahoma. “I’m glad that we can take the place of smaller vehicles or dismounted Marines so they don’t have to put themselves in danger.”

With a combat tour to Afghanistan already under his belt, Hanover has been in dangerous IED situations before.

“Last year, I was with the route clearance platoon and we found seventeen IED's in less than a mile while traveling a single route,” Hanover recalled. “I love my job because I don’t know any other place where you get to do stuff like this.”

The ABV operators ensure their vehicles are always ready for any mission that might be assigned to them.

“We need to be ready all the time because these vehicles are a valuable asset that help save lives,” Dicks explained. “It feels good to be able to make a difference out here.”

• Date Taken: 11.28.2010
• Date Posted: 11.30.2010 22:37
• Story ID: 61136
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE JACKSON, AF