DefendAmerica News - Article
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RAIDER, TIKRIT, Iraq, Jan. 11, 2004 – Standing at the main gate of Forward Operating Base Raider, a World War II Sherman tank, captured and restored by soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, keeps a constant vigil.
The tank was found along a main highway, at the beginning of the war, near Forward Operating Base Speicher at an abandoned Iraqi armored vehicle school.
By the order of Col. James Hickey, commanding officer for 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, the vintage Sherman tank was loaded onto a heavy equipment transport trailer and taken to Forward Operating Base Raider, where it was restored by mechanics from the 4th Forward Support Battalion.
“To the Iraqis, it was a symbol of superiority over our armor based on what they thought America had,” said Capt. Andy Sanchez, commander for 1st Brigade Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 4th Infantry Division.
To have a piece of American equipment proved their dominance, added the native of Corpus Christi, Texas.
The Sherman tank was in good condition. The most notable damage was in the tracks. According to Sanchez, the mechanics welded a steel plate to the corroded tracks to compensate for the damage.
The M4-A3HVSS Sherman tank was one of the most widely produced in its time, said Sanchez, who has a mechanized infantry background.
Its weapon systems consist of a 105-millimeter cannon, two .30-caliber machine-guns and a U.S.-made, .50-caliber machine-gun, which was captured separately from the Iraqi Army, and later mounted atop the turret.
When the 4th Infantry Division redeploys later this year, the tank will most likely be taken back to be displayed at a museum at Fort Hood, Texas, said Sanchez.
With its pristine hull, original engine and full compliment of weapons, the vintage Sherman is an eloquent symbol of pride for the soldiers of the brigade.
“To us it symbolizes taking back what rightly belongs to us – repatriating our equipment, if you will,” Sanchez said.
Vintage Shermans soaking up just about anything explosive makes me cringe at the waste
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