Recently I was able to do a little traveling and in some ways, it was a gear heads dream come true, it even felt like my own version of mega-movers or any of those big machine TV shows on Discovery or History channel. I had to help move a group of folks from the place I work to a different place and in the process, got to see a whole lot of heavy machinery. We started out on a C-17 aircraft and after landing, the fun started, I even got involved in some of the driving including offloading a HMMWV also called HUMVEE for you civilians!
In a few days time, I saw cranes pull housing trailers off trucks, a thing called a "Dratch" which is smaller than a "T-Rex" pull shipping containers off of other trucks (I have become somewhat obsessed with shipping containers and their many uses, more on that when I return), forklifts offloading ISU-90s (a big military moving container), all the way down to Polaris and Gator utility vehicles. It was good to get out of the old "gym" and do something where I saw the fruits of my labor. During that time, I also saw a few of the so-called MRAPs (Mine resistant, ambush protected) vehicles that a few Senators and Congressman are obsessed over.
Before I went on this trip, I had a great conversation with an Army infantry battalion sergeant major and one of the subjects were these beasts, these MRAPs. He pretty much confirmed my suspicions, they are a great transport vehicle when moving on an open highway and subject to attack, like a dedicated convoy, but for manuevering in the city, they are way too heavy, and WAY too high. Some of these things are really monstrous looking and I saw a couple with the RPG cage on the outside for even more protection.
They are designed to be off the ground, with a V-shaped hull to help deflect the blast of a mine or IED but they are very unweildy and I hope they have begun to scale back the vehicle buy because I just don't think they are very practical, other than in convoy operations or in limited uses in the cities. Don't get me wrong, in many instances, I would probably want to be in an MRAP, but they are definitely not some sort of fighting vehcle as we have used in days past. I climbed up in one and it definitly feels like being inside a bank vault with wheels. Seeing al the up-armored HMMWWV's here is another thing, every vehicle looks different than the next, it's a scale model builders dream or nightmare, whicever you prefer.
To change subjects, it's kind of interesting watching the politics from afar and seeing what limited coverage I have the time and ability to see. I'm actually glad we (Iraq) aren't the main topic of the day, I really think it gives our leaders the ability to operate without every decision being criticzed. It was tragically ironic, though, when recently the casualty numers creeped up and every news program reported it but there sure as hell aren't any stories about the increasingly effective Iraqi troops or the stability the local governments are starting to achieve. As regards the recent Prime Minister Malaki push into Basrah, good on him! While the media can slam his operations, there is no one in the Middle East that will ever fault a leader for showing a pair and taking on the enemy.
Thats all for now, about halfway through the deployment, all my best to those troopers taking it to the evil doers every day and night!