Husky operator goes looking for 'trouble' so others may be safe.

Photo By Master Sgt. Stephen Schester | U.S. Army Sgt. Carl Logan, a mine resistant ambush protected vehicle operator, or Husky, from the 59th Mobility Augmentation Company, 8th Engineer Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas, performs a maintenance check on his Husky before a next day mission at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Afghanistan, March 23. The Husky is a single occupant mine-protected vehicle that seeks out buried landmines and IEDs for investigation and neutralization.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, AFGHANISTAN

04.09.2011

Story by Staff Sgt. Stephen Schester 

16th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, Afghanistan—In 1968, artist Harry Nilsson recorded a song made famous by its opening lyric, “One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do.” The lyric may ring true to some, but for U.S. Army Sgt. Carl Logan, one suits him fine.

Life as a Husky operator can be an isolated one. The vehicle mounted mine detector is a one-person vehicle, but plays an imperative role in countering the threat of land mines and improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan.

The Husky is a heavy-duty vehicle that can withstand massive explosions. For added protection on impact, the vehicle can break apart in certain areas. The Husky also has a V-shape haul underneath to divert the blast from the operator. If you’re on a route clearance procedure, this is the vehicle you want to be in, Logan said.

The first time Logan laid eyes on a Husky, was in basic training.

“The drill sergeants explained what it was and what it could do,” said Logan. “I thought there was no way it could withstand an anti-tank mine at the time— I have been proven wrong since then.”

Logan served 15 months in Mosul, Iraq where he became a Husky operator.

Being the lead vehicle in convoys, Logan’s motivation as a Husky operator is simple; go search for explosives and neutralize the threat so others will not feel its destruction.

“If I get hit, it’s just me and this vehicle. The first IED scared me, but it wasn’t very big and I knew that my truck would protect me,” he said.

“I believe that all the NCOs [non-commissioned officers] should know the equipment their subordinates have to operate. So I learned every vehicle we had in Iraq, and was able to operate all of them,” said Logan.

After familiarizing himself with all the vehicles, the Husky became his favorite. During his first deployment in Iraq, Logan said he became very attached to the Husky. Now in Afghanistan, that same sentiment exists.

Logan may enjoy being a Husky operator but there is one part of the vehicle he doesn’t enjoy—the hard seat.

He said his longest mission so far sitting on the hard seat has been 16 hours, which was in Afghanistan.

Sitting in a hard seat of a Husky, all alone, for hours, on a route clearance patrol, takes a certain type individual. You’re literally looking for danger, so others won’t find it, said the combat veteran.

With months left to go in his deployment, Logan has never been hit by an IED or land mine at the wheel of the Husky. The two blasts that he experienced, ironically, happened inside an RG-31 mine resistant ambush protected vehicle.

What makes a good Husky operator Logan said, “Someone that has a good head on their shoulders that can make snap decisions and, quite frankly, has to have a few screws loose.”

He said he has learned a lot about himself since being a Husky driver.

“I have become more self-reliant and able to make decisions quicker on my own,” said the vehicle operator.

If you can make quick decisions, can stand being alone for hours and confront danger head on, then maybe you have what it takes to be a Husky driver. As long as IEDs and land mines threaten servicemembers and civilians in Afghanistan, Husky drivers like Sgt. Logan will always be in demand.

• Date Taken: 04.09.2011
• Date Posted: 04.09.2011 12:29
• Story ID: 68495
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE LAGMAN, AF