By Spc. Jerome Bishop, 1st Corps Support Command Public Affairs
The Iraqi armed forces are welcoming an increasing amount of a new tool to use in making their country safe- armored vehicles.
Until recently, Iraqi forces in northern Iraq were conducting operations without the protection of up-armored vehicles used by the U.S. Army to protect its Soldiers, but the Soldiers of the 536th Maintenance Company, 17th Corps Support Battalion, 917th Corps Support Group have given the Iraqi military a safety tool that has proven effective, and they have no plan to stop add-ons.
"We started off doing a few (Iraqi) trucks in the beginning," said Capt. Tynice Roundtree, commander, 536th Maint. Co. "Then other (Iraqi) units came around and asked us to do theirs too."
The majority of the trucks that the company up-armored were Russian-made Y-7A seven-ton trucks and the Russian Y-3A 4-speed jeep used by the Iraqi forces.
Additionally, the 536th Maint. Co. has also added armor to a few of the Nissan pickup trucks used by the Iraqi forces.
"[The Iraqis] wouldn't go out since they didn't have armor. When we first started, the executive officer of the (Iraqi's parent unit) 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment came down with the Iraqis and we [started the up-armor process for their vehicles]," said Chief Warrant Officer Lee Rowland, allied transition technician.
The company has up-armored about 42 Iraqi National Guard and Iraqi regular army vehicles, Rowland said.
The Iraqi vehicles, which can't carry a lot of weight due to its design, have to be carefully armored so that the engine can still perform the mission, Rowland said.
The metal used to armor the doors and the front of the vehicles is custom cut from a metal template, the same used to armor U.S. trucks.
"We try to [armor] the doors, the front and sometimes the floor. It all depends on what [the Iraqis] want," he said.
"We give them protection from gunfire," Rowland said. "The success rate has been pretty good.
Up-armoring the large seven-ton trucks takes about two and a half days. Currently, the company is focusing on completing the jeeps, in which the majority of them have already been completed.
About 50 jeeps were brought to the company for up-armoring, they have already completed 36.
"The jeeps on average take about four-to-six hours," said Spc. Jeremiah Snedginar, welder.
Since the armored vehicles have been in use, several lives have been saved, and Iraqis make sure that members of the 536th Maint. Co. know that they are thankful for what they have done for them.
"The best part is when the (Iraqi) unit comes back to thank [our Soldiers],"Roundtree said. "It makes them feel really good about what they do."
"I'm really proud of what my Soldiers have done," Rowland said.
Armored vehicles for convoys and transportation missions are a commodity the U.S. Army has worked on supplying its Soldiers since the necessity arose.
Now the professional Iraqi military that will progressively assume control of their country can have the same advantage in combat safety.
Editor's Note: Spc. Bishop is a member of the 1st Corps Support Command Public Affairs from Fort Bragg, N.C. and is deployed to Iraq in support of 1st Corps Support Command units at Logistics Support Area Anaconda and various other installations in theatre.
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 05.13.2005 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 1826 |
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| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 17 |
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