Photo By Marc Loi | Sgt. Brandon Bedard, an infantryman with Attack Company, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE PASAB, Afghanistan – When the Stryker Combat Vehicle first debuted during the training exercise Millennium Challenge in 2002, it was built as a combination of the future and legacy force – a sustainment of the good of the past and a look into the future.
Tested in some of the harshest training conditions the Army had to offer at Fort Irwin’s National Training Center and Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center, the eight-wheeled vehicle was praised by combatant commanders and soldiers as the light, versatile vehicle that would not only swiftly carry soldiers throughout the battlefield, but also be able to withstand the rough terrains it would navigate.
In one of its final certification exercises at JRTC during Operation Arrowhead Lightning II, the Stryker Brigade took an objective in less than half the time it normally would take a light infantry unit, a feat its soldiers and leaders then attributed to the vehicle’s troop-carrying capacity as well as speed.
A decade and two wars later, the Stryker still stands as one of the most useful vehicles in the Operation Enduring Freedom’s theater of operation. Its effectiveness is especially evident to the soldiers of Joint Base Lewis McChord’s 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, which has a large fleet of Stryker vehicles in southern Afghanistan.
One of those vehicles belongs to Pfc. Wellington Sturrup. A driver for the battalion’s Attack Company, Sturrup drives other infantry soldiers to and from the battlefield in one of the most dangerous areas in Afghanistan where IEDs are a constant threat and enemy fighters are constantly planning small-arms attacks. The Stryker, he said, is an ideal vehicle for the area because its speed allows him to take an entire squad to and from objectives very quickly while its agility provides better handling in Afghanistan’s mountainous terrain.
“We can carry more soldiers, so there are fewer vehicles out there,” Sturrup said. “I can haul a whole squad in one vehicle, which means that they are ready to go when we get to the objective.”
Having an entire squad of soldiers arrive in one vehicle not only helps with maintaining accountability of all personnel – a paramount aspect in combat – but also gives the soldiers an added tactical advantage, said Sgt. Brandon Bedard, another infantryman from Attack Company.
“I can have my squad ready to go as soon as we get to the objective,” said Bedard. “It’s a big factor – we can prep the equipment in the vehicle, and the space [in the vehicle] allows us to have everything ready to go. Once we get to the objective, all we have to do is move out.”
It isn’t just the speed at which the Stryker delivers soldiers to and from the battlefield that has soldiers gushing. The vehicle’s low-riding body, along with its eight wheels, also reduces the rollover rates.
“A wider body and riding lower means that it’s less likely to rollover,” Sturrup said. “It’s peace of mind for me – I feel more at ease driving it because there isn’t that added pressure. I feel like I am able to focus on the task at hand. This entire deployment, I haven’t had to worry about rollovers.”
More than just preventing rollovers, the vehicle’s build also helps reduce the rate of casualties from the enemy’s direct action. Afghanistan’s roads are especially hazardous for military vehicles because of IEDs. While the Stryker’s weight won’t prevent it from triggering an explosion should its driver run over an IED, Sturrup said its double V-hull helps prevent the vehicle and soldiers inside from taking the full brunt of the blast – a feature critical in both saving lives and equipment.
“It’s better than other vehicles because it’s going to take a lot less of the blast,” Sturrup said. “The blast doesn’t have the time to fully develop. One thing I’ve noticed is that the ones that get hit may get one of the wheels knocked off, and it still has seven left.
“Take out one of the wheels and you still have a lot left to use,” he added.
Having eight wheels instead of four also helps the soldiers in other aspects of transportation – especially during Afghanistan’s rainy months when roads become marshlands that make the terrain unmanageable.
The ability to traverse through muddy terrain, which other vehicles are more likely to get stuck in, reduces the rate of soldiers exposing themselves to the enemy and allows them to still be able to accomplish their mission, Bedard said.
“We haven’t had to stop and change vehicles during a mission during this tour or last,” said Bedard. “We haven’t had any issues that hold us back [from our missions].”
Besides its ability to help soldiers accomplish the mission at lightning speed there is also the added comfort systems that allow soldiers to relax and be more ready for the missions at hand. Since its inception, the Stryker has undergone several upgrades, including receiving better air conditioning systems to protect both the equipment inside as well as help soldiers cool down. This is especially important during Afghanistan’s summer months, when temperatures can be as high as 120 degrees.
“During my last tour in Iraq, it was hot during the summer – and I mean it was hot,” said Bedard. “But they’ve added new air conditioning systems and they’re amazing – it helps put everyone at ease and in the mood for the missions.”
For Sturrup, the added bonus is not only the air conditioning, but also the reclining driver’s seat that he’s found to be of particularly good use when on long, overnight missions.
“Being a driver, my most favorite feature is the driver’s seat,” he said. “On long missions, I can lay the seat all the way down to rest. I am a tall guy, so my joints lock up after a while – this way, on overnight missions, I can get a good night’s rest and be ready for when we push forward on an objective.”
Although these soldiers do not remember a time when the Stryker was not in the Army’s inventory – it was first introduced seven years before Bedard even joined the Army – they, like the soldiers who first tested them in 2002, see the vehicle as not only a luxury, but also a tool to help them better accomplish their missions as infantrymen.
“It’s a great troop carrier,” Bedard said. “Transporting troops over crazy terrains isn’t going to be a problem for the Stryker.
“I’ve been using the Stryker my entire Army career, and I haven’t had any problems with it at all."
| Date Taken: | 04.24.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 04.24.2012 08:54 |
| Story ID: | 87228 |
| Location: | AF |
| Web Views: | 543 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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