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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
May 15, 2008 - 12:14:09 PM |
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New vehicle provides MND-B added protection against IEDs
Blackanthem Military News
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| Pfc. Shaun Hoffman, an infantryman assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment attached to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, exits the Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicle April 5 during a patrol in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. The MRAP vehicle is the Department of Defense's latest technological achievement to defeat the Improvised Explosive Device threat in Iraq. The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, will assume responsibility of the new vehicles as they join Multi-National Division - Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers are patrolling the streets of the Rashid District in the Department of Defense's latest defensive measure to defeat the Improvised Explosive Device, the number one threat against Soldiers in Iraq.
Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stationed at Forward Operating Base Falcon, are trading their up-armored gun trucks for the Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicles, recently issued to U.S. Armed Forces in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Pfc. Shaun Landers, personnel security detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., said he prefers the MRAP over the Humvee.
"The MRAP was built around the Soldiers," stated Landers, a cavalry scout from Anchorage, Alaska. "I feel very safe and confident operating this vehicle. It gives us that tight turning radius we desperately need."
In October 2007, the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, became the first unit in Iraq to receive the MRAP vehicles, said Sgt. Marquis Dawkins, a mortarman assigned to the PSD, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th BCT.
"I'm impressed with the MRAP," said Dawkins. "The first time I saw it, it was intimidating. It was striking."
During the last six months, Dawkins said the MRAP has proven itself effective in the war on terrorism.
"If a bad guy sees the MRAP coming down the road, he would probably turn and go in the opposite direction," said Dawkins, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y.
The better the protection, the better Soldiers can pay attention to the mission at hand, said Spc. Christian Schmidt, an infantryman assigned to the PSD, HHD, 1st BCT.
"The MRAP makes it easier for us to focus on the mission outside the wire," said Schmidt, who hails from Ponce, Puerto Rico.
Sgt. Michael Banaszak, infantryman assigned to the PSD, HHD, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., is the truck commander for the 1st "Raider" BCT's brigade command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Michael I. Bobb.
According to the International Mine-Protected Vehicle student guide the v-shaped hull of the MRAP is designed to deflect the force from explosions that originate underneath the vehicle, which increases the survivability for Soldiers.
"The Army has adapted to the ever-changing war climate here in Iraq," stated Banaszak, a native of Roseville, Calif.
The height of the MRAP is substantially higher so Soldiers must be safety conscious when operating the vehicle on the battlefield.
"The drivers and gunners have to consistently communicate," Banaszak explained.
The gunner is the only Soldier in the vehicle with a 360-degree view, he added. The driver and gunner must effectively communicate to successfully navigate low-hanging obstacles on the road.
"Overall in a combat zone, the MRAP should stand the test of time," explained Banaszak.
Banaszak said that the fielding of the MRAP vehicle shows the U.S. Army's commitment to protecting its Soldiers and the 1.2 million residents of the Rashid district.
"As long as the vehicles are safer and prevent Soldiers from sustaining injuries, I'd have to say it's a definite improvement," Banaszak said.
The Raider Brigade will take responsibility of the MRAPs while simultaneously assuming command from the 4th BCT, 1st Inf. Div., in April.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Iraqi Army soldiers conduct a combined patrol on Doura's 5th Street located in southern Baghdad's Rashid district April 5. The Iraqi Forces and U.S. conducted a dismounted patrol with the Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicle providing security overwatch in the trail. Iraqi Security Forces and Coalition Forces patrol the local mulhallas or neighborhoods on a daily basis to ensure a safe and secure environment for the district's 1.2 million residents. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brent Williams, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
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| Pfc. Matthew Cole, a cavalry scout from Fort Hood, Texas, assigned to the personnel security detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, performs a preventive maintenance, checks and service on a Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicle March 30 at Forward Operating Base Falcon in soughern Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Hodge, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
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| Pfc. Matthew Cole, a cavalry scout from Fort Hood, Texas assigned to the personnel security detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, checks the oil level of a Mine Resistant and Ambush Protected vehicle March 30 at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Hodge, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
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