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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Oct 13, 2008 - 10:41:15 AM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| The Fox, a light-wheeled armored vehicle, is considered by many to be inferior to the modern Stryker, but members of the PA Guard's 2-104th Cavalry's NBC platoon know it will get the job done as long as it has to. |
Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa. - The Pennsylvania Army National Guard is currently providing 650 troops for international missions, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, but that is likely to change soon. By the end of 2008, a historic troop surge could possibly send nearly 4,000 Soldiers from the Commonwealth to Iraq.
Among those to potentially deploy are the 2-104 Cavalry, a Stryker unit headquartered in York. Coined as "Ghost Riders", these vehicles are the pinnacle of accessible military technology, and highly sought after tools of the trade for modern Cavalry units.
A great majority of the force slated for Iraq has been outfitted with the Stryker. In addition, there is an NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) Reconnaissance version, far more sophisticated and modern than the Fox, the vehicle which has been assigned to the 2-104's NBC team.
"The M93 Fox is a light-armored vehicle that acts as a conduit for NBC missions down range." Sgt 1st Class James E. Brickel platoon sergeant for Delta Troop of the 2-104 Cavalry explained, "It is self-contained and has the ability to function independently until fuel, water and food supplies are diminished."
"Further," Brickel added, "almost all testing can be done without the intervention, and possible compromise, of human life. The MM1 Chemical Warfare Computer, which can be installed in the Fox or the Stryker, employs sampling tubes lined in plastic, sampling tongs, and sampling wheels, which all operate in a potential chemical environment while Soldiers are inside."
"The days of rolling out in full MOPP4 are over," Brickel added. MOPP4 is a protective posture that entails that soldiers must wear rubber over boots, gloves, and a heavy suit, regardless of the heat.
"It is an excellent system as a whole, but adaptation is a challenge. This equipment needs to be run for a minimum of four hours per week, which is a lot for us to do when preparing for deployment," Brickel continued.
Regardless of their affiliation with the Stryker brigade, Delta troop will likely be deploying with the Fox. "We don't expect to deploy with the Strykers, we might be outfitted with the new vehicles when we return." Soldiers such as Spc. Camilo
A.Gonzales, a chemical operations specialist with the unit continue to do preventative maintenance checks (PMCS) on the vehicles without complaint. "I do the PMCS for the Fox, it isn't difficult."
Certain idiosyncrasies do exist with using the Fox in lieu of the Stryker, but as 2nd Lt. Jordan T. Seiler charged, if the 2-104th as a whole call themselves 'the eyes and ears of the Army', Delta troop will continue to act as their nose.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Pvt. Kyle D. Lunger, NBC operations specialist, 2-104th Cavalry performs a monthly maintenance routine on the Fox during the unit's January drill weekend. |
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| Sgt. Tamelle P. Hill, NBC operations specialist, 2-104th Cavalry, works hard to get a Fox vehicle up and running during a the unit's January drill weekend. |
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