Engineers introduce sanitation vehicle to route clearance

Courtesy Photo | The engineer platoon from 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, attached to 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., uses an interim high mobility engineer excavator to remove a concrete barrier from the shoulder of Route Tampa. The IHMEE clears debris along the highway to reduce locations to conceal improvised explosive devices. (Photo by 1st Lt. Christopher Painter)  

CAMP ADDER, IRAQ

02.03.2011

Courtesy Story

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

By 1st Lt. Christopher Painter

CAMP ADDER, Iraq – For nearly a year, route clearance teams assigned to 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, have been vigilantly clearing and reconnoitering Route Tampa day and night, investigating debris and suspicious dirt piles.

The two platoons attached to 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., employed the interim high mobility engineer excavator for the first time this month. The IHMEE, as it is called by soldiers, clears debris along the highway that could potentially conceal improvised explosive devices.

“The machine can crush and pick up a concrete barrier or remove a large berm that could conceal an anti-armor IED. The IHMEE definitely adds capabilities to our patrol,” said Sgt. Jason Jones, IHMEE operator and spotter, from Hudson, N.Y.

The process began earlier in the tour, when both platoons’ route clearance teams recognized the need for route clean-up, after meetings with their counterparts in the Iraqi highway patrol and Iraqi army.

By detecting changes in the amount of debris along the highway, the route clearance teams determined that a significant amount of debris that could be used for IED concealment should be removed or cleared.

After weeks of coordination and research, Chief Warrant Officer 3 John Waterman, an electronic warfare officer assigned to 3rd Bn., 29th FA Reg., from Fountain, Colo., assisted the Camp Adder electronic warfare shop in designing a counter IED system for the IHMEE.

On its maiden voyage outside the wire, the IHMEE performed beyond expectations said Sgt. Thomas Sturtz, IHMEE operator. The IHMEE sanitized 22 kilometers of highway and removed over 20 bucket-loads of material that could be used to hide a roadside bomb. Strurtz sees the IHMEE as a powerful enabler for route clearance operations.

“The IHMEE allows us to remove the large amounts of trash and debris that we note as part of our change detection during missions,” said Sturtz, of Manitowoc, Wis.

Not only does the vehicle aid route clearance operations, it improves the Iraqi’s perception of U.S. forces, as the engineers use the IHMEE to improve the safety of the highway for everyone who travels on it.

• Date Taken: 02.03.2011
• Date Posted: 02.27.2011 17:00
• Story ID: 66167
• Location: CAMP ADDER, IQ