Soldiers modify vehicles for convoy defense

Army News ~ Soldier Stories ^

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Soldiers modify vehicles for convoy defense 

November 17, 2003

Sgt. 1st Class James Hamilton, of Akron, Ohio, a member of the 762nd Trans Co., explains how the Mark-19 is used on the M872 trailer to help with convoy defense.

When Sgt. 1st Class James Hamilton’s unit, the 762nd Transportation Company, delivered rations and water to troops in Iraq, it continuously would receive some type of small-arms and rocket-propelled-grenade fire.

So Hamilton and the Soldiers in his Army Reserve unit started to gather excess parts and material and applied them to their vehicles for improved survivability.

“The command received word of what we were doing and our commander gave us the green light to continue,” said Hamilton. “We’re getting ready to modify the design of the trailer with two Mark-19s (automatic grenade launchers) and two additional SAWs.”

Other vehicles, to include Humvees and Heavy Equipment Transporters, known as HETs, were also modified to mount M249 squad automatic weapons and M2 50-caliber machine guns.

The operators of the vehicles have qualified with the new weapon platforms at a range and are fully mission capable for defending convoys, said Hamilton.

Sgt. Maj. Robert D. Casher, operations sergeant major for the 32nd Transportation Group said, “This is soldier ingenuity at its best.”

[LADY J]

Our soldiers are awesome!!!!!

[sigSEGV]

That's one Monster Garage episode worth watching.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

“The command received word of what we were doing and our commander gave us the green light to continue,” said Hamilton. “We’re getting ready to modify the design of the trailer with two Mark-19s (automatic grenade launchers) and two additional SAWs.”

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Soldiers rewarded for independent thinking that saves lives.

[Squantos]

Troops gonna make do as usual.......:o)

In this case make enemy doo doo !

Stay Safe !

[Squantos]

M872 .......:o).........Stay Safe !

[gatorbait]

Bring back the quad .50 and DUSTERS.Talk about bringing hurt onto Hadji.....

[TheCrusader]

"Bring back the quad .50 and DUSTERS.Talk about bringing hurt onto Hadji....."

I remember those things defending our perimeter in Vietnam - we used to call the quad. 50's "the Pee Bringers". They were a devastating display of armor piercing firepower. I'm wondering why they don't use them now, and why the military is letting our guys drive around in a combat zone with what are basically just big SUVs.

[patton]

LOLOL. Monster garage, indeed.

[patton]

Ehem. "Field expedient."

[Lurker]

Do you remember those train cars the Nazis used to defend those oilfields in Romania?

Mount a few quad 50's and some Mark 19s intermittently between the cargo cars. Since there's no real air threat to speak of that might just be pretty good at defeating any ground threat.

Just for yuks, you could mount some TOWs on them as well.

Just a thought.

L

[patton]

Vulcan on a HET.

[MarkeyD]

I've been wondering why they hadn't been doing this. Are Hummers lined with Kevlar? Anybody know?

[MarkeyD]

What they need is the BFG 9000!

BFG 9000

[kimoajax]

Bee Hive Rounds anyone?

[Cogadh na Sith]

I'll bet it'll look like something out of The Road Warrior...

Of course, the best way to prevent ambushes on the road is to tie local kids from the village to the vehicles--release them at the next village--take the kids out of the next village and so forth until you reach your destination...

'Course we're not allowed to do that. It's wrong, ya know... Effective, but wrong.

[paul544]

They should be gaurding convoys with Strykers, not Humvees. Just my $.02.

[omega4412]

See http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1031083/posts

[blackie]

Soldiers modify vehicles for convoy defense ~ Bump!

[Prof Engineer]

Our Guys Rock!