Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Simon McTizic | Specialist John Koutsoyanopulos, a combat engineer from the 82nd Brigade Engineer...... read more read more
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CAMP HOVEY, REPUBLIC OF KOREA — Soldiers from the 82nd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, trained on the M60 Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge system here on Feb. 28.
“Being a 12 Bravo, a combat engineer, is fun,” said Spc. John Koutsoyanopulos, combat engineer from the 82nd BEB, 2nd ABCT, 1st Infantry Division.
“You get to do a whole lot of different things — like shooting, blowing things up, breaching and learning about all types of vehicles such as the M60 AVLB.”
The M60 AVLB is based on the M60 Patton main battle tanks hull and is used for the launching and retrieval of a 60-foot, scissor-type bridge. The bridge weighs 15 of the vehicle's 70 tons and can support all vehicles fielded by the U.S Army.
The crew operates five different hydraulic valves located in front of the driver’s seat to lay out different portions of the bridge simultaneously. Turning the valves to extend the bridge was a new experience for a few of the Soldiers, including Sgt. Angel Sarmiento, combat engineer, also with the 82nd BEB, 2nd ABCT, 1st Inf. Div.
“I came from a light infantry unit, airborne, and this is all new to me”, Sarmiento said.
“This training was actually really helpful for me, because I learned what the equipment is, what it can do and how it can be implemented. I'll probably be a squad leader in my platoon and I have to know the capabilities of my vehicles to be able to implement them in the battlefield.”
Practicing the deployment and utilization of this type of bridge is an essential part of the readiness mission of the 82nd BEB and the “Dagger” brigade.
“This vehicle is vital to the mission,” Koutsoyanopulos said.
“If we needed to cross a large area and tanks weren't able to drive over it — such as a large crater, deep ditches or water crossing — this bridge would be extremely important to get all those vehicles either out of the breach, or into it.”
STORY AND PHOTOS BY
STAFF SGT. SIMON MCTIZIC
2/1 ID PUBLIC AFFAIRS
| Date Taken: | 02.28.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 10.26.2020 03:50 |
| Story ID: | 381712 |
| Location: | CAMP HOVEY, GYEONGGIDO [KYONGGI-DO], KR |
| Web Views: | 193 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, DAGGER BRIGADE SOLDIERS TRAIN WITH BRIDGING EQUIPMENT, by SFC Simon McTizic, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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