Jed Berman and safety in Iraq [Stryker Evaluation]

I recently read your article on U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jed Berman. I was stationed in the same squadron as Sgt. Berman and knew him quite well. I pray daily that he recovers and am thankful that he wasn't killed. There were some issues brought up in your article that I would like to address. One issue was that he was traveling in a FOX armored vehicle and not a Stryker. He did have the protected body armor that has proven itself extremely effective. I talked with a Marine who was serving around Baghdad who had a friend of his hit at close distance from an AK-47. Two rounds struck him in the chest and his armor saved his life. The rounds didn't penetrate and he returned to duty, albeit a little shaken.

As far as the Stryker vehicle is concerned, I have logged over 8,000 kilometers while in Iraq and love the vehicle to death. It has weathered roadside bombs and rocket-propelled grenades with minimal damage. No soldier has been killed due to enemy actions while inside the vehicle. The problem comes when soldiers are manning guard hatches.

This causes part of their body, including their head, to be exposed. You can reduce this threat by exposing only a minimal portion of yourself. For me, that includes my head and weapon. A lot of soldiers will expose themselves from their waist up. Why, I don't know.

The Stryker, with SLAT armor, provides more protection than the Bradley fighting vehicles. They can travel faster and farther than any tracked vehicle (tanks and Bradleys). Their speed on the highway is a huge factor reducing the threat to the vehicle and crew. The only other vehicle in the Army that can produce the type of mobility and speed is a Humvee. Ask any soldier in the Stryker Brigade if they would trade in a Humvee for a Stryker and 100 percent would say "in a minute." The Stryker is the best vehicle in the Army, or the Armed Services, for the type of operations being conducted in Iraq.

Again, my prayers are with a friend and comrade who I knew and respected terribly. He will be missed, and I pray for his recovery.

Carson E. Davis

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