223rd armors the Iraqi army

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Ernesto Vargas welds plates that will be used in an Iraqi up-armor kit. The kits are used to protect soldiers in the new Iraqi army from roadside blasts and small-arms fire. Guevara is a welder with the Dallas-based Army Reserve 223rd Maintenance Company.  

TAJI, IRAQ

11.18.2005

Courtesy Story

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CAMP TAJI, Iraq " Spots of blinding light flickered shadows on the walls of the dark garage. Showers of sparks hit and skipped across the ground as welders from the 223rd Maintenance Company continued their work.

The Soldiers from the Dallas-based Army Reserve unit were completing two more armored gun boxes for the Iraqi 1st Motorized Transportation Regiment here on Camp Taji, Iraq.

The gun boxes are a part of the 223rd's mission to provide up-armored protection to the vehicles used by the Iraqi army unit.

"The boxes are placed in the back of some of the old [Army] 5-ton trucks we've given them," said Lt. Col. William Schiek, Special Troops Battalion commander, 4th Sustainment Brigade and U.S. Army advisor to the Iraqi unit. "It protects personnel while riding in the back."

While the gun boxes are just one element of the up-armoring process, the 223rd also fabricates plates to fit over the cabs of the civilian Mercedes trucks used by the Iraqis.

"It takes four days to make a box and three days for the plates," explained Staff Sgt. Robert Gray, a welder with the 223rd. "That's with two or three [Soldiers] on each one. It goes pretty fast."

"We've put out about 50 up-armored kits so far," said Chief Warrant Officer Clark Keeler, the 223rd Allied Trades Technician.

While the number may seem low since the unit began the mission in January, Keeler explains that the 223rd still supports over 20 other units on Taji with custom fabrications and vehicle repairs.

With only eight people in the shop, things can get pretty busy, he said.

Still, the work supporting the Iraqi army helps the entire war effort.

"We're enabling them to take on the mission that our people are currently doing," said Maj. Alfredo Garcia, 223rd commander. "The more trucks we put out, the more missions they run and the less we have to do."

"I think it's a great thing to contribute to the Iraqi army," said Keeler. "The endgame is to get them up and running. Anyway to protect them is a good thing." USAR

• Date Taken: 11.18.2005
• Date Posted: 11.18.2005 13:11
• Story ID: 3785
• Location: TAJI, IQ