Posted on 07/29/2002 7:17:17 PM PDT by knighthawk
FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - Two U.S. Army soldiers have been killed and nine others injured after their tank, one of the most advanced armoured vehicles in the U.S. military arsenal, caught fire during a training exercise.
It was at least the second fire in an Abrams M-1A2 tank, one of the world's premiere battle tanks, in three months.
"There was a fire inside the tank. The tank was on a gunnery range at the time," said Cecil Green a spokesman for Fort Hood, about 120 miles southwest of Dallas.
Seven of the nine injured have been released from a local hospital, said base spokeswoman Patricia Simoes, who added the remaining two were listed in fair condition. The injured were treated for injuries including smoke inhalation and burns.
The cause of the fire was under investigation, she said.
One of the two soldiers killed in the fire was Private Chris W. Morados of Little Rock, Arkansas, while the name of the other soldier was being withheld until his family was notified of his death, she said. The soldiers were all members of the Army's 4th Infantry Division.
The Abrams M-1A2, made by General Dynamics Corp has a rapid-fire, laser-sighted 120mm canon, a powerful 1,500 horsepower turbine engine, advanced armour plating and a top speed of more than 40 mph.
The tank in Monday's incident was equipped with a Special Enhancement Program (SEP), a computer system that gives it advanced targeting, communication and other capabilities.
In another Abrams M-1A2 tank fire at Fort Hood in May, Army Private Gerardo M. Chavez, 19, was killed and eight soldiers and a civilian worker were injured. That tank did not have the SEP.
I remember reading a quote from an Iraqi colonel after the Gulf War, I'm paraphrasing here, since I don't have the actual quote in front of me:
"For three months, the U.S. Air Force bombed us, night and day, and as a result, we lost a couple of tanks and a few soldiers. Then the Second Cavalry attacked us, and in three hours we had lost an entire armored battalion."
Way to go, 2nd ACR, Tujours Pret!
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