Marine Takes Short Trip in Iraqi Tank

AP ^ | April 14, 2003

[Shermy]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Capt. Daniel Schmitt looked eagerly at the tank and then explained. "I have a hobby. I drive every single thing in the Marine Corps at least once."

But this is a Russian-made T-72 Iraqi tank, not a Marine vehicle.

"It is now," Schmitt said, and grinned like the Cheshire Cat as he climbed into the tank for a short joyride through a palm grove on Monday.

Schmitt, commanding officer of the Weapons Company of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, is admired and respected by his men — not only because he began as an enlisted man like most of them — but also for his mischievous wackiness.

He asks his Marines to share bawdy stories with him. He calls his rifle Condoleezza, because it is a nice name and it pays homage to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

And the 31-year-old from Glen Ellyn, Ill., does exuberant things like climb into an Iraqi tank for a cruise. Even though the T-72 tank, once the pride of the Republican Guard, is more than a decade old and in bad shape.

Schmitt dreamed of driving the tank when he first saw it parked by the side of a road Sunday in the northern Baghdad neighborhood of Tunis, which his Marines are patrolling.

The battered, rusty monster appeared to have been abandoned in a hurry — an old pair of Iraqi army trousers were attached to it by a cord, as if hung out to dry.

Schmitt was delighted to learn it still worked, and he joked of making it his personal vehicle.

Cpl. Jeff Fowler, 21, of Chesnee, S.C., drove the roaring, clanking tank from the road into the Marine camp beneath the palm trees Monday.

A few minutes later, Schmitt got a quick driving lesson from Fowler, who had learned to operate the Russian-made tank in an Army course.

After a few false starts and more coaching from Fowler, Schmitt began backing the tank among the trees with jerky motions, like a teenager learning to drive a stick-shift car in a parking lot.

The tank continued to lurch as he pulled away from the camp, where his Marines watched with gaping mouths, and headed into another palm grove.

There weren't any U.S. troops other than his own unit in the area, so there was no danger of his being mistaken for a renegade Iraqi.

But Schmitt confined his driving to the grove, out of fear that if he drove the tank farther into the neighborhood he would get shot by Marines.

After about five minutes, he brought the tank back to camp and parked it next to a palm tree.

He popped out and grabbed his rifle.

"Come here, Condoleezza," he said. "I wasn't with another woman. It's a tank. You're still my baby."

[Shermy]

Hold muh beer alert?

[Dog Gone]

LOL

[Cuttnhorse]

Good story, I like it!

[Support Free Republic]

Strong Conservative Forums Help Prevent Candidates Like This From Winning Elections
	Finish Strong. Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[patton]

Been there, done that. LOL.

[Lockbar]

LOL, he comes from the town right next to mine. Lots of crazy gun lovers from around here.

[swheats]

Now they're able to breathe easier, having fun.

[John H K]

Only would have been a "Hold Muh Beer" alert if he'd tried the autoloader....been known to amputate arms.

It's interesting to note that despite the common reputation of Russian equipment being "simple" and "rugged" and "reliable" and American equipment being "unecessarily complex", The M1 tank has its main gun loaded by hand, while T-72s have their main gun loaded by an (often unreliable) automatic loader.

[Grampa Dave]

What a great story!

[Damocles]

"Come here, Condoleezza," he said. "I wasn't with another woman. It's a tank. You're still my baby."

BAWWAAHHHAA! Best line I've heard in a while.

[Theophilus]

The M1 tank has its main gun loaded by hand...

Psssst! That's to keep Pvt Jessica Lynch and Spec Shoshanna Johnson out of the turret. Females can't handle the weight of the rounds. </whisper>

I wouldn't have guts to drive that thing around for fear of the A10's.

[TC Rider]

The M1 tank has its main gun loaded by hand, while T-72s have their main gun loaded by an (often unreliable) automatic loader.

LOL, I knew gun bunnies of Polish extraction who used to load the 155mm howitzer by hand. The rounds weighed about 90 pounds and they would not only get it in the tube by themselves, but ram it. (much more upper body strength than mine)

[Tennessee_Bob]

while T-72s have their main gun loaded by an (often unreliable) automatic loader

Unreliable? Hardly - you could rely on it to try and load the gunner on a regular basis.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Uurah

As long as we keep getting Men like this, there's no way we will ever lose a war.

Semper Fi

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

It's interesting to note that despite the common reputation of Russian equipment being "simple" and "rugged" and "reliable" and American equipment being "unecessarily complex", The M1 tank has its main gun loaded by hand, while T-72s have their main gun loaded by an (often unreliable) automatic loader.

Not only is it unreliable, it's also a lot slower than a Mk1 GI loader, US.

[LibKill]

Pretty cool.

Now, let's take it to Camp Pendleton (or Camp Lejune) for a trophy. :)

[Leisler]

I don't know if it is different in the T-72, but I once tried to get in the drivers seat of a T-60. No figgen way and I was 5'10, 160. The thing must of been driven by munchkins.

[Paleo Conservative]

The M1 tank has its main gun loaded by hand, while T-72s have their main gun loaded by an (often unreliable) automatic loader.

Even if they T-72 is capable of firing rounds faster than the M1-A1, it doesn't matter. The M1-A1 can kill targets from longer ranges and reliably kills its target with its first shot.

[JRandomFreeper]

Hold muh beer alert?

He's a Marine, and he's an officer. They call that eccentric. I'm glad he's on our side. ;>)

/john