Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press
Date:Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Section:Front Page; Page:1

‘Whispering Death’

By Edward Lee Pitts Military Affairs

CAMP CALDWELL, Iraq — On a three-hour tank tour through the Iraqi desert near the Iranian border Tuesday some 278th Regimental Combat Team soldiers used hightech thermal imaging equipment to hunt for roadside bombs.

The sunrise mission with a pair of M1A1 Abrams tanks cleared the roads in advance of the day’s supply convoys and combat patrols conducted by the regiment’s more vulnerable trucks and Humvees. The sweep turned up no new improvised explosive devices, which continue to be a deadly thorn in the side of U.S.-led coalition forces. But tank personnel said the morning routeclearing was still a success, as the mere presence of the 60ton machines serves as a deterrent for would-be bomb-makers in the area.

"If we roll up on an IED it isn’t going to hurt us, for the most part," said Spc. Jason Brooks, 30. "(Insurgents) know we can batten down the hatch, and there is not much they can do to us. We are the intimidators."

There is a platoon of four tanks stationed at each of the Tennessee-based National Guard regiment’s three bases here in northeastern Iraq’s Diyala province. The units are from G-Troop out of Greeneville, Tenn., and H Company based in Erwin, Tenn.

Tank platoons in Iraq no longer perform fierce combat offensives such as those conducted during the 2003 invasion of Baghdad. Those were dubbed "thunder runs" for the swiftness with which the tanks reached and toppled the city.

The tanks, however, still strike fear in the hearts of Iraqis, according to Sgt. Robert Graham. He said some remember the tanks from Operation Desert Storm in 1991, when locals called them "whispering death" for their ability to rain down destruction before enemy targets knew what hit them.

"You can’t hear them until they are already on top of you," said Sgt. Graham, 38, of Greeneville. "And if they are already on top of you, you’re dead. The M1 is up close and personal in a battle and can get in and out of trouble fast."

A NEW ROLE

Powered by a turbo jet engine and reaching a top speed of 45 mph, a tank and its four-man crew can hit a target from up to 3,000 meters away with its main gun — the 120 millimeter cannon, Sgt. Graham said.

But the behemoths largely have been muzzled today, as U.S-led soldiers try to guide Iraqi army troops corralling still-active insurgents while simultaneously working to win the hearts and minds of civilians.

"Here we are used pretty much as a big Humvee," said Staff Sgt. Troy Cummings, 26, of Sevierville, Tenn.

As the tanks rumbled on the road Tuesday, their wide bodies forced most passenger cars off the streets. The tanks have torn up concrete medians and even overturned a brick truck — not what Army commanders want in the public relations fight. But all damage caused by the tanks either has been repaired or the owners have been paid, according to 278th officials.

On Tuesday the only thing the tanks had to clear from the road was a flock of sheep. The soldiers dismounted at length only to inspect underneath a bridge for hidden explosives. Each tank’s commander, loader, gunner and driver kept his eyes peeled for fresh mounds of dirt, newly dug holes, wires on the roadside and dead animals — all signs of potential bombs.

Sgt. James Capps, the gunner on Tuesday’s mission, said the thermal imaging system on the main gun’s sights makes the tank ideal for detecting roadside bombs. He said the heat sensor is responsive enough to pick up the slightest temperature change in the dirt when fresh sand not yet heated by the desert sun has been dug up by bombers.

A tank’s trigger sights allow soldiers to see up to a mile away in flat terrain, so there are not many places a roadside bomb "trigger man" can hide, according to Sgt. Capps.

When explosive devices are found, the tanks seal off the area to all traffic before the Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit, or bomb squad, arrives.

A STRONG PRESENCE

While the U.S. tanks now are used primarily in this bomb-hunting role, Sgt. Capps’ tank platoon has conducted other missions, including show-of-force patrols through Balad Ruz, one of the more unstable cities in the 278th’s sector.

1st Sgt. Steve Johnson said some of the insurgents "think the tanks are possessed." There often "really isn’t anything for the tanks to fight," but it’s "nice to have them in case you need them," he said.

While insurgents have fired on Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Humvees, they have yet to shoot at the tanks monitoring the sector here assigned to the regiment’s 1st Squadron.

"They are a little scared because they know the outcome if they did misbehave," Sgt. Graham said. "Our message is, ‘Behave or you’ll have a bad day.’"

On a recent night patrol, the Camp Caldwell-based tanks overran and captured about a dozen suspected insurgents with explosive residue on their hands near the city of Mandila, according to Staff Sgt. Cummings.

But the tanks also roll up to local schools to surprise students with boxes of donated supplies.

"The children love us," Sgt. Capps said. "Tanks make them feel safe."

Tank missions here always end at the same place — Camp Caldwell’s’ refueling point. While a tank holds about 500 gallons of fuel, it uses two gallons per mile and takes seven gallons just to get started. An average mission consumes 200 to 300 gallons of fuel, Staff Sgt. Cummings said.

The life of a tank crew member here is consumed by maintenance, Staff Sgt. Cummings, said.

"Most people park their Humvees and leave," he said. "We have about three hours of maintenance when we get back."

But all the work is worth the feeling of power soldiers have inside a tank, according to Spc. Brooks.

"It’s like driving the best Cadillac," said Spc. Brooks, of Greeneville. "In a Humvee a little pothole will jar you to death, but for us it is like floating in the air."

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika Staff Sgt. Tory Cummings and 2nd Lt. Will Taylor of the 278th Regimental Combat Team’s 1st Squadron, Team Arrow, stop their M1A1 Abrams tank for a flock of sheep during a route-clearing mission this week in Iraq.

U.S. Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika - 278th Regimental Combat Team Sgt. James Capps, a gunner on a M1A1 Abrams tank, surveys the Iraqi landscape.

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