Courtesy Photo | CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Spc. O'Neil Gaynor, a welder with the 16th Engineer Brigade's...... read more read more
by Sgt. 1st Class Tracy Ballog
16th Engineer Brigade PAO
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – By adding armor to engineer construction equipment, maintenance personnel assigned to the 16th Engineer Brigade's Add-on-Armor Installation site not only saved the military vast amounts of money and precious time, they saved lives by enabling fellow engineers to safely perform dangerous construction missions outside the wire.
When military leadership in Iraq began planning for armor installation sites across the country, maintenance personnel from the 62nd Engineer Battalion, 16th Eng. Bde., offered their expertise; the 12-member crew is the only Soldier-operated installation site of four in Iraq, and they have out-produced their civilian counterparts in all aspects of their mission.
"Our equipment was originally slated to go to Balad for the installation, but we were able to work through channels to establish a site in Baghdad, which means we wouldn't have to risk Soldiers' lives transporting the equipment to and from Balad," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 James Markley, 16th Eng. Bde. "We also saved a lot of our units' time without the equipment as we worked directly with them to schedule installations with respect to their missions.
"We saved more than $1.5 million by doing it here rather than in Balad. The money saved was then used to build the Baghdad site and buy tools and materials for the installation."
The team traveled to Balad in July for installation training with Army Defense Systems Inc., the armor kit's manufacturer, and began Baghdad operations Aug. 1.
The team was tasked with installing the newly created armor kits onto multiple pieces of engineer equipment including graders, bucket loaders, scrapers, dozers and rollers. The armor kit production began in November 2005 and only recently became available for the engineer equipment.
Kyle Stanley, an ADSI field representative who trained the team and then joined them in Baghdad, said the site's distinction extends beyond its Soldiers' only focus.
"The difference in this Add-on-Armor team and site doing the work versus the civilians is we are doing it in a field environment, whereas the civilian sites have a manufacturing environment," he said.
The team faced initial challenges, specifically the availability of critical pieces of equipment and tools for the initial site stand up, but they quickly adapted to the unique mission requirements, said Sgt. 1st Class Devin Pool, team noncommissioned officer-in-charge and a light wheeled vehicle mechanic with Headquarters Support Company, 62nd Eng. Bn.
"As we started installing armor, we were limited on resources and equipment. We worked in the open, without a proper facility, using the bare essentials in order to accomplish our mission. Yet despite the hardships, we prevailed and set a new standard for installation by sending a completed up-armored vehicle out of our shop every other day, which greatly improved the combat readiness and overall Soldier safety for the 5th and 62nd Eng. Bn. Soldiers," said Pool.
The armor's installation is a four-step process, which includes prepping the vehicle by stripping some areas down, adding heat and air conditioning, reinforcing the frame and then adding and welding on the armor to the equipment, explained Staff Sgt. Mark Lee, the team's shop foreman.
Some pieces of equipment required more effort that others, added Lee, a native of Pomona, Calif., and a senior heavy construction repairman.
"During the preparation phase, the bucket loader was the most difficult to work on. Adding armor onto the dozer was also difficult as it has more parts," he added.
The team was completely committed to providing fellow engineers with a timely and quality upgrade, said Markley.
"The Engineer team is by far the fastest run operation in the Army. They have completed 27 pieces of equipment in less than two months. Even the Balad civilian site, which has been operating a month longer than us, has not yet completed 27 pieces," explained Markely.
The team's motivation came from its dual role as both Soldiers and engineers, Lee said.
"Adding on the armor ourselves improved the survivability of the operators and definitely makes a difference. All the operators feel more secure and comfortable with the addition of air conditioning. They can now go into areas we couldn't go before as they now have extra protection. The armor allows our engineer commanders the freedom and confidence of going into more dangerous areas," he added.
The newly-armored vehicles were welcome upgrades to his battalion's combat capabilities, said Command Sgt. Maj. Richard St. Cyr, 62nd Eng. Bn.
"Both our 68th Construction Spt. Co. and Co. B, 62nd Eng. Bn. have gotten a lot of use out of the up-armored equipment," he said. "Co. B personnel used the up-armored loaders on route sanitation and on the Shaab and Ur blocking positions shortly after they were done. The 68th Construction Spt. Co. used the up-armored dozers on an anti-tank ditch. Both units' equipment worked with great success.
"Talking to the operators, they all told me the new armor on the dozers and loaders is a great improvement over the couple dozers with the old kits. Our Earth movers spent the bulk of the deployment working in unarmored, heavy equipment with only their body armor and Kevlar blankets for protection. Now, their visibility is increased and the heat and air conditioning vastly improved their comfort levels. We're all very happy with the new capabilities."
The Add-on-Armor crew is proud of the work they've accomplished, but the team understood their primary mission was to save lives, said Pool.
"From the start, we understood our efforts would help protect fellow Soldiers who are conducting missions in the Baghdad area of operations. We are not producing this equipment for an anonymous Soldier to use. These vehicles will be used by our friends and co-workers. Because of this, our site's production rate surpassed all expectations and our team has proven that hard work, strong will and dedication to duty can overcome any obstacle."
| Date Taken: | 10.24.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 10.24.2006 13:18 |
| Story ID: | 8126 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 738 |
| Downloads: | 633 |
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