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Soldiers armor American and Iraqi vehicles

Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Sgt Alan D. Mendenhall of the 872nd Maintenance Company welds armor to the bed of an...... read more read more

11.18.2005

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

Russian cargo trucks, Mitsubishi sport utility vehicles, Chevrolet pickup trucks and other vehicles wait patiently in line in one of the workshops of the 872nd Maintenance Company. They are all here for an "appointment" with the up-armor section.

The shop is taking Iraqi army, Iraqi police and some other vehicles and adding armor or enhancing existing armor, said Chief Warrant Officer Tom P. Johnson, the section chief of the armor shop.

"Hopefully it [the armor] provides more protection, and helps to save a few more lives, or protects them from being injured," Johnson said.

The section works with a total of 12 people, most of whom are Soldiers. All of them are welders and machinists.

"We have been here since the middle of August, and I would say we have done at least three [vehicles] a day," Johnson said.

The shop uses a type of sheet metal called "Hardox" to fabricate the armor. A four feet by eight feet sheet weighs approximately 500 pounds. It is very difficult to cut, because of the density of the metal, he said. They have to use a plasma cutter which employs hot ionized air to cut the metal.

The work is customer driven. Wherever the customers need extra protection on the vehicle, the armor shop installs it for them. The shop often designs the armor, presents the plan to the customers, and the customer can suggest modifications or ask for additional armor in certain places, Johnson said.

The small team works on several different types of vehicles. For some, they already have the exact measurements and patterns. On others, they have to start from scratch, measuring every area where armor will be installed.

The shop receives brand new Mitsubishi sports utility vehicles destined for the Iraqi military, "guts them out," and installs armor inside and outside the vehicles. Because of the added thickness of the armor on the inside of the doors for example, the mechanics are unable to put back on the original padding and covers, said Sgt. Alan D. Mendenhall, a welder and metal worker from Riverton, Utah.

"We armor for different types of vehicles for the Iraqi army and police only," Mendenhall said.

There was an increase in the number of Iraqi vehicles submitted to the shop lately, in preparation of the upcoming elections in Iraq, Johnson said.

"I think helping them is great. That is what we are here to do. They are the ones who will replace us one day," said Spc. Eric W. Smith, a metalworker from Clinton, Utah, who has only been in the military for 18 months.

Welding is not always as simple as it seems.

"Sometimes you have to weld armor onto the civilian vehicles, and welding armor on the thin sheet metal is not easy," Smith said. When welding on a thinner sheet of metal, the welding torch may actually burn a hole on the metal instead of attaching the thicker sheet of armor.

The section leader says properly managing the process may be challenging. "The biggest difficulty is scheduling and staging everything, so we can move things through the shop efficiently," Johnson said.

"Teamwork is what it is all about," said Smith. "We always have to work together. You can't lift the armor up; you can't do anything here by yourself. It is always with someone else."

Johnson said the company has not been on the ground long enough to run into any raw material problems, however, they ran into some issues with having enough of the right tools on hand. They are working very hard on fixing the problem, Johnson said with determination.

"We are glad to be here to help," he continued. "All of my troops are really into this, they like what they are doing. They especially enjoy the custom work they get to do."
Soldiers in his section agree.

"I love my jobâ?¦The job never ends. There is always something else that needs to get done," Smith said. "Everybody needs armor, everybody needs protection, and everyone comes to us."