An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Military members get wrapped up in vehicle training

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  David Towery is trying to drive his points home.

He's standing in front of a class of Sailors in a fluorescent-lit classroom on Camp Morrell, the television above his head changing its content as he speaks about the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP. The vehicle has come to be known as the ultimate protection for convoy operators driving on the highways and trails of Iraq and Afghanistan. The mobile life saver. Mr. Towery was here to offer it to them through training designed to cover every aspect of the vehicle, from simple and in-depth maintenance procedures to a complete breakdown of its capabilities.

It's something he's done for the last six months, teaching everyone from Airmen assigned to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing to Army and Navy equipment operators stationed on Camp Morrell.

His class, quiet except for the occasional question, is attentive. Absorbed. Knowing all of this could save their lives one day.

"The training was simple and straight to the point," said Senior Airman Brenden McAvey, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Reservist deployed form Charleston, S.C. "[Mr. Towery] touched on a lot of important things and was able to give us what we needed to know."

The MRAP is an armored fighting vehicle used throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. Because of the many vendors who produce them, there is no single design; however, they have very similar characteristics among them

The average height of an MRAP sits almost 4 feet off the ground. They all usually contain a V-shaped hull that deflects an upward directed blast of an improvised explosive device or landmine away from the vehicle.

Before becoming a field service representative for a leading MRAP manufacturer and taking the assignment on Camp Morrell, Mr. Towery built MRAP vehicles in the factories of his hometown for years. He personally knows their capabilities, knows what they're made of and how they're constructed. His in-depth coverage of the nuances of the vehicle, including the maintenance information, is evident in the course's curriculum.

"Being a mechanic, I found the course very informative," Petty Officer 3rd Class Austin Bolter. He is deployed from Port Hueneme, Calif. "The vehicles are easy to work on, compared to some of the others we have. There's so much room to work on everything, and there's very few pieces to it all."

Mr. Towery's main focus in conducting the training is to ensure operators are comfortable driving the vehicles; many students taking the class have never seen or driven anything like it. Much of that comfort comes from ensuring the vehicles are not a danger to the people operating them.

"These vehicles have taken some tremendous blasts," said Mr. Towery, a native of Charleston, S.C. "They've proven to be remarkable in saving hundreds, possibly thousands of lives in situations where any other style of vehicle may have been destroyed.

"So in the course, safety of the occupants is of primary concern," Mr. Towery said. "Students are taught how to use the vehicle without being injured, and how to operate the vehicle safely."

The course runs two days, and is open to military members across all services with jobs that require use of the vehicle in some capacity.

The classroom lecture is followed by component familiarization on the vehicles themselves. The students are taken out to the MRAPs and asked to identify certain parts and pieces.

This is also the time when students can get comfortable learning how the doors operate, how the view looks out the windshield and how high the trucks sits above ground.

On the second day, students have the opportunity to drive the MRAP on rough terrain and over small sand dunes to get a feel for its steering, weight and ride.

For those that are used to driving other military transport vehicles, the MRAP has some marked improvements.

"It drives better than a Humvee," said Senior Airman Jeffrey Sandoval, 386th Civil Engineer Squadron. He is deployed from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. "It feels a lot more stable. The steering is pretty tight and there's plenty of room inside."

The design of the MRAP, one created in response to a specific need and danger prevalent while conducting operations in the U.S. Central Command AOR, is proving to be more than satisfactory for the job it was made to perform.

"The design concept is leaps and bounds ahead of what's been available before," Airman McAvey said. He is a native of Tampa, Fla. "The Humvee was never originally designed with what we're encountering in Iraq today. These vehicles are designed to handle what we're facing now, and hopefully the platform can be adapted to many other things we'll face in the future."

According to estimates from the Department of Defense, the vehicles have played a significant part in the 90 percent drop in fatalities from roadside bomb attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sometimes, Mr. Towery focuses on those numbers, which give statistical weight to his claim that MRAPs are of enormous benefit to the armed services. But many other times he's just glad to be able to contribute to the cause.

"It's a great experience for me," said Mr. Towery. "Being able to help the armed forces and my country by assisting with these vehicles, knowing that they are going to get lot of the young men home in one piece back to their families is a great feeling."