Photo By Jacob McDonald | An M1 Abrams crew from 4th Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, await their turn on the...... read more read more
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At eight feet tall and 30 feet long the more than 60-ton M1 Abrams casts a deadly shadow.
The Soldiers of 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, are trained to ride these giantesque war-machines into combat.
Before they head up to Iraq, however, the 4-64 trained on Third Army/U.S. Army Central ranges at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Oct. 31.
"We are ensuring that our weapon systems are accurate, functional and ready to head north," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Fitzpatrick, master gunner of D Company, 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment.
Aside from ensuring that their weapons systems were good to go, the 4-64 used this chance to get in a little firing practice to make sure their gunners were up to snuff, Fitzpatrick said.
Most of the Soldiers of the 4-64 have been deployed more than once. For some this is their third or fourth tour. Despite that fact, their spirits are high and they seem to enjoy what they do.
"I'm just glad to be back over here to make a difference," said Sgt. Stephen Stage, a
gunner with 4th Bn., 64th Armor Regt.
Fitzpatrick had his tanks set up in two lines, a firing line and a bore-sight line. Before heading to the firing line the tank crew must align the sight with the barrel, this is called boresighting.
To learn how to operate this vehicle the tankers aten 14 weeks of one-station unit training at Fort Knox, Ky. The basic crew of an M1 Abrams is four tankers each with a specific function. Each tank has a driver, loader, gunner, and a tank commander.
There are three different versions of the Abrams in use by the Army and Marine Corps today. The M1A1 and M1A2 have certain armor and armament improvements upon the original design, while the M1A2 SEP has upgraded optical capabilities.
The 120 mm M256 smoothbore gun is an improvement on the original 105 mm M68 rifle. Shooting various types of ammunition such as High Explosive Anti-Tank rounds, Sabot armor piercing rounds or Multi Purpose Anti-Tank rounds the M1 Abrams is very versatile in combat.
With new improvements in technology, the armor of the Abrams has increased in effectiveness against anti-tank weaponry. The fuel and ammo are kept in armored compartments to protect the crew in case of ammo cooking off.
The role of the M1 Abrams is an important part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Stage said.
"It's very important," Stage said. "We bring the heaviest armor that the Army has to the battlefield."
Being trusted with one of the U.S. Army's heaviest pieces of equipment, the Soldiers of 4-64 do not disappoint when it comes to bringing heavy armor and big firepower to the battlefield.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2007 08:53 |
| Story ID: | 13601 |
| Location: | KW |
| Web Views: | 680 |
| Downloads: | 304 |
This work, 4-64 brings the HEAT, by SPC Christopher Grammer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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