thedrifter
08-09-06, 03:19 PM
Two Local Marines Among Seven Honored For Battlefield Ingenuity
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (STNG) -- Seven Marines, including two from the area, were presented with a $5,000 award for their combat zone ingenuity in designing and creating a protective armor kit for military forklifts and front end loaders, commonly called TRAMs, according to a release from the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Those awarded -- welders and mechanics assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) -- were selected for the recognition by the Marine Corps' Beneficial Suggestion Program after fabricating from scratch a steel cover, complete with protective glass windows, that fits over the cab of the TRAM, the release said.
TRAM is the Marine Corp's acronym for "Tractor, Rubber-tired, Articulated steering, Multi-purpose."
Among those awarded were Staff Sgt. Andrew N. Zabel, 27, the project's team leader, of Batavia; and Cpl. James A. Carrillo, 23, of Chicago.
Brigadier Gen. David G. Reist, commanding general of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, thanked the Marines as he presented the award. "You Marines are saving lives, and that's what it's all about," said Reist, deputy commanding general for support of Multi National Forces-West.
In May of this year, as extra forces were being called on to secure Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar province, Col. David M. Richtsmeier, the 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) commanding officer in Iraq, ordered the men to come up with an armor kit for the TRAMs, which were planned to be used to build new combat outposts throughout the city. The slow-moving TRAMs needed something that would protect the operators if they came under enemy attack while fortifying outposts, the release said.
Over the course of two weeks, the seven-man team worked developing the system, using leftover armor designed for a humvee and an air conditioner built for another vehicle system. Fueled by energy drinks and music, the Marines were inspired by the unique mission they were tasked with, Zabel said in the release.
"Our motivation came from the ever-present rebuilding mission that the Marines of the I Marine Expeditionary Force have been given," Zabel said. "I tried to make it a point every day to emphasize the fact that by building this armor shell, we were (potentially) saving the life of a heavy equipment operator."
Carrillo and Marshall, vehicle mechanics, adapted a larger alternator to power the air conditioning unit for the new cab.
"(The Marines) went beyond their 'normal job expectancy' to quickly and effectively neutralize a very dangerous situation for heavy equipment operators," said Shirley P. Stiles and Robin G. Wimberly, who work with the Beneficial Suggestion
Ellie
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (STNG) -- Seven Marines, including two from the area, were presented with a $5,000 award for their combat zone ingenuity in designing and creating a protective armor kit for military forklifts and front end loaders, commonly called TRAMs, according to a release from the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Those awarded -- welders and mechanics assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 15, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) -- were selected for the recognition by the Marine Corps' Beneficial Suggestion Program after fabricating from scratch a steel cover, complete with protective glass windows, that fits over the cab of the TRAM, the release said.
TRAM is the Marine Corp's acronym for "Tractor, Rubber-tired, Articulated steering, Multi-purpose."
Among those awarded were Staff Sgt. Andrew N. Zabel, 27, the project's team leader, of Batavia; and Cpl. James A. Carrillo, 23, of Chicago.
Brigadier Gen. David G. Reist, commanding general of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, thanked the Marines as he presented the award. "You Marines are saving lives, and that's what it's all about," said Reist, deputy commanding general for support of Multi National Forces-West.
In May of this year, as extra forces were being called on to secure Ramadi, the capital of Al Anbar province, Col. David M. Richtsmeier, the 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) commanding officer in Iraq, ordered the men to come up with an armor kit for the TRAMs, which were planned to be used to build new combat outposts throughout the city. The slow-moving TRAMs needed something that would protect the operators if they came under enemy attack while fortifying outposts, the release said.
Over the course of two weeks, the seven-man team worked developing the system, using leftover armor designed for a humvee and an air conditioner built for another vehicle system. Fueled by energy drinks and music, the Marines were inspired by the unique mission they were tasked with, Zabel said in the release.
"Our motivation came from the ever-present rebuilding mission that the Marines of the I Marine Expeditionary Force have been given," Zabel said. "I tried to make it a point every day to emphasize the fact that by building this armor shell, we were (potentially) saving the life of a heavy equipment operator."
Carrillo and Marshall, vehicle mechanics, adapted a larger alternator to power the air conditioning unit for the new cab.
"(The Marines) went beyond their 'normal job expectancy' to quickly and effectively neutralize a very dangerous situation for heavy equipment operators," said Shirley P. Stiles and Robin G. Wimberly, who work with the Beneficial Suggestion
Ellie