By Spc Jason Phillips
Military Police gunners perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States Army.
From their High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (humvee) turrets, they operate weapons such as the M2 .50 Caliber Machine Gun, MK-19 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, and M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. When performing missions in their vehicles, gunners stand in the turret, or sit on a strap that is suspended inside the humvee beneath the turret.
They wear Kevlar helmets to protect their heads, and body armor to protect their neck, chest and arms. But as gunners, whether they sit or stand, and no matter how much body armor they wear, their upper body is still exposed above the vehicle.MPs usually use the heavily armored M1114 series of humvees. These vehicles did not have extensive turret protection during Operation Iraqi Freedom I and the beginning of OIF II.
At most, they were fitted with an angled shield mounted in front of the gunner, but this shield did not offer protection to the gunners" sides or back. In Iraq, where Improvised Explosive Device attacks can come from anywhere, this meant gunners often had very little but 'thin air between them and the bad guys," explained Chief Warrant Officer Philip Baker, maintenance officer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 89th MP Brigade.
To address this problem, 89th MP Bde. leaders designed a turret shield that provides nearly 360-degree protection around gunners in humvee turrets. It was so successfully designed that Multi-National Force-Iraq leadership directed all U.S. Army units in Iraq to attach the same shield design to their humvee turrets, explained Sgt. Maj. Avery Jones, operations sergeant major, HHC, 89th MP Brigade.
"When we arrived in theater, we noticed that a lot of Soldiers were getting injured by IED blasts," said Jones. In response, Col. David Phillips, commander, 89th MP Bde., chose Jones to design a turret shield that would provide 360-degree protection for gunners without compromising what they could see or how they could maneuver their weapons. From April to May, Jones and Baker worked on the initial turret shield design, as well as on several modifications. There were many issues they had to consider while creating the turret shield, said Jones.
These issues included making sure the shield could be fitted to the vehicle without drilling extra holes in the turret ring, it provided protection for gunners of different height, and it did not interfere with the gunner's ability to maneuver their turret mounted weapon. During the design and prototype testing process, many 89th Soldiers and leaders made important contributions, said Jones. Among these individuals were headquarters Soldiers who tested the shield's ballistic strength by firing at it with various caliber weapons at a weapons range. Capt. Scott Bishop, Brigade logistics officer coordinated the project's funding and acquisition aspects.
Staff Sgt. Eric Ogden, maintenance section non-commissioned officer-in-charge, HHC, 89th MP Bde. and his section's mechanics spent countless hours installing shield prototypes, giving Jones and Baker feedback about potential modifications. "This was a combined effort of the S3 [operations], and S4 [logistics and maintenance] sections, MP team gunners and our HHC mechanics," said Jones.
Soldier safety was the primary focus of everyone involved during the shield design, testing and installation process, he said. "If [the shield] saves one Soldier's life, it was well worth the time and effort," Jones said.Though the added weight of the shield makes it more difficult to rotate the turret, many MP gunners in HHC, 89th MP Bde. are glad to now have the nearly 360 degree protection, said Sgt. Stephen Dorsey, an HHC, 89th MP Brigade gunner.
"At first, I was totally against [the turret shields] because the weight on the turret made it so we couldn't scan our sectors as freely from side to side," he said. However, after experiencing a few IED, grenade and small arms fire attacks, he has completely changed his mind, he added. He added that Soldiers have quickly adapted and the shield doesn't deter from the skillful way they perform their missions."You can't shoot back at an IED," he said. "As a gunner, I'm no good if I'm badly injured and can't shoot at all. I might not be able to move my gun as quickly, but the added protection gives you confidence when you are rolling down the road."
Baker recently received an e-mail about an MP gunner who had survived an IED attack in Baghdad because the turret shield had protected him from the blast. "It was all worth it when we got the e-mail about the Soldier who could have gotten hurt, but the turret shield worked," he said.
The U.S. Army currently has several turret shield prototypes in the research and development phase that will eventually become a standard component to new M1114 humvees, said Baker. But for units with these vehicles already in Iraq, the 89th turret shield is the best the Army has now. It has proven itself in design and testing, and in the words of the 89th MP Bde. motto, it has been "Proven in Battle," he said.
| Date Taken: | 10.15.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2004 10:24 |
| Story ID: | 506 |
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| Web Views: | 178 |
| Downloads: | 20 |
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