'Reality Here in the Desert'

[darrels joy]

'Reality Here in the Desert'

EDITOR'S NOTE: Staff Sgt. T.J. Rabe of Sunnyside is with the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Company. He drives an armed Humvee as an escort for truck convoys hauling fuel in Iraq. The following are edited excerpts from e-mail letters sent to the Yakima Herald-Republic on Oct. 18 and 20. In these Letters Home, Rabe refers to news that broke last week about soldiers from an Army Reserve company based in South Carolina who refused to drive missions in Iraq because their trucks are unarmored. Their trucks are military transport trucks, while the vehicles driven by Yakima-based 737th soldiers are converted civilian tanker trucks.

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Many of you have probably already seen on TV about the unit that refused fuel missions because of armor issues and the danger of the roads. I wish they could see the vehicles we drive up north. The trucks we escort, with many of my soldiers in them, are white Mercedes cab-over trucks. We have no armor, nor do we have a chance to get any armor. We have tinfoil-like doors. I cannot believe they complained! Statistically speaking, we are receiving more losses than those soldiers in "green" trucks. I do not know why they are whining. I know that I have sent many of my close friends home from the non-armored vehicles. I believe we have, like, 10 wounded. Only two have gone home and not come back to Iraq.

The roadside bombs we deal with on a day-to-day basis are cutting through our vehicles like warm butter. My soldiers do not complain about the job we are here to do. We just do it. Every day we roll out the gate we know that it could be us tonight. We have all come to the belief that if it is our time to go, no armor or protective equipment can stop that. I talk to my soldiers daily about God and how I feel about him. When I ask (my soldiers) if they are ready, they tell me, "If it is my time, it's my time." What a morbid thought to think about, but it is our reality here in the desert.

I am proud that our soldiers never turn down a mission and never complain about the mission we have. We have made it this far, and we will fight to the end, no matter the consequences!

I wish I had the e-mail addresses of the families of our troops to thank them for their dedication. Some of the local ones are Spc. Chad Brinkerhoff, Staff Sgt. Mike Blackwood, Staff Sgt. Walter Castilleja, Spc. Alex Gonzales, Sgt. Tad Higgins, Spc. Brian Luisi, Sgt. Ron Babbit, and many more.

I hope and pray that all of us can make it home alive. Your prayers and dedication to prayer is making a huge difference in the war we fight daily. I thank you! I pray for you each day as well. From the front lines, we thank the American churches, families and friends for all your support. Your support will be needed when we arrive on our home soil as well. I have seen what this conflict has done to my soldiers, and the entire Army. Those of us that make it through this will carry a scar. For many it will heal, but for some it will take time.

The force in front of us is nothing compared to the power behind us!

[Jerry D]

My Thanks to Staff Sgt. T.J. Rabe of Sunnyside and the Army Reserve 737th Transportation Co. for their service to our country and unfailing duty to respond

[darrels joy]

An email response from one of our civilian friends...

How lucky we are to have men like that between us and the disasters our enemies would heap upon us.

wim

[revwardoc]

My question is: Why the hell don't our troops have the the proper equipment? Thank you, Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld for looking out for our men and women. S'matter?! Paying out too much kickback money to Haliburton to afford to keep our troops as safe as possible?! :cd:

[39mto39g]

Hows that dream world?
How are we to protect the troops, Exactly? An armored Fuel carrier? No such thing, and if there was and RPG to the tires would work. Maybe we could deliver 5 gal at a time inside an Abrum. Armor plateing is a good idea for vehicles on patrol but for a gas tanker. Not gona happen. And , by the way, armor plating doesn't work against a RPG 7 anyway.
I think we should line the tanker with Democrats as Amor, Let them see close up what a dumb idea looks like.

Ron

[MarineAO]

Originally posted by 39mto39g Hows that dream world?

I think we should line the tanker with Democrats as Amor, Let them see close up what a dumb idea looks like.

Ron

ROFLMAO and 39mto39g you owe me a screen and keyboard cleaning (coffee all over the place Damnit!!!! where is the paper towles Dear?)

[DMZ-LT]

They gave me a flak vest to wear in Viet Nam , to heavy and would not stop a round , I sat on it sometimes. I carried an AK and if we needed something my CO could not get us we scrounged till we got it.

[MarineAO]

The U.S. Marine Corps has received the first of 40 Cougar hardened engineer vehicle (HEV). Basically a 12 ton truck that is hardened to survive bombs and mines. The Cougar can get engineers into combat situations where mines, explosives or any kind of obstacle, has to be cleared. The bulletproof Cougars are built using the same construction techniques pioneered by South African firms that have, over the years, delivered over 14,000 landmine resistant vehicles to the South African armed forces. The South African technology was imported into the U.S. in 1998 and has already been used in vehicles for peacekeepers in the Balkans.

The vehicle comes in two versions. The four wheel one can carry ten passengers, the six wheel one can carry 16. The vehicle uses a ?capsule? design to protect the passengers and key vehicle components mines and roadside bombs. The trucks cost about $360,000 each. About one percent of the attacks in Iraq are from landmines, while about a third are from roadside bombs.

[revwardoc]

Ron,

The thing is, we have the technology to do just that; armor fuel carriers, so why isn't it done? That ranks right up there with the decision in 1861 to not issue Henry repeating rifles to the Union army because it would waste ammo! And I'll settle for using our current administration as armor. Then we needn't bother with an election.

[39mto39g]

Unless your talking a bradly or an Abrum Theres no such thing, Yes they will stop a AK round but even that thing that Marine was talking about wouldn't do much against an RPG-7 .
You can't build a armord Gas tanker unless you put a 5gal can in an Abrum and call it a tanker.
Kinda like our flack jackets, the ones we had wouldn't stop piss, The ones that are in Iraq (some) will stop an AK but that does no good if its a head shot or from a 50 cal.
An armord vehicle is not really an armored vehicle, It can stop AK rounds or frags but even a Bradly will have a hard time with an RPG-7 , No Armored Gas tankers
No armored airplane or armored balloon either.

Ron