July 13, 2011
Shinseki in Stryker
By U.S. Army Garrison-Detroit Arsenal Media Services
Photo Credit: U.S. Army Garrison-Detroit Arsenal Media Services
Retired Gen. Eric K. Shinseki sits inside a Stryker vehicle and talks with Col. Robert Schumitz, Stryker project manager, about how the vehicle was first fielded 10 years ago as the Interim Armored Vehicle
The first thing that I noticed about the Stryker program manager Col Schumitz, was the fact that we both held a cup of Starbucks coffee in our hands on entering the celebration of the 10th. anniversary of the US Army Stryker Program at the Stryker National Logicial Center located in Auburn, Washington. My Starbucks coffee was the Pike Place roast.
Col Schumitz paced about a lot being a senior army officer and the fact that our nation has been at war for a decade.
The tempo here is fierce, nerves are tense and the workers were tired.
The speech mostly detailed the fact that the US Army was nearing the mark of reaching the goal of it's 9th Stryker Brigade and that of 4,000 vehicles. The simple fact that the Stryker Brigades have driven nearly 40 million miles since their initial deployments. The fact that 26 million of those miles were in combat while the vehicle was designed to achieve a mere 1,200 miles per year. The simple fact that the vehicle was designed to carry between 38 to 42 tons it commonly carried between 42 to 46 tons.
Truly a success story from any angle it is viewed. If you don't believe this then simply ask any soldier that you might encounter.
Col Schumitz speech never mentioned the fact that his term as the program manager was nearing the end and his replacement would be a DOD cilivian who was in attendance.
The fact that the people who he had met along his travels, being mostly of those at his time in several local happy hour events. He would meet a bartender or waitress who would see the Stryker logo or an elblem and simply recount a story that the Stryker vehicle had brought their husband, brother or loved one back home.
During his speech he stopped several times to recount an emotional story of a Stryker program success.
The greatest of which being the story of the newest version of the US Army's Double V Hull Stryker. In a recent large improved explosive device, commonly know as IED, explosion attacked in full force one of the newest Double V Hull's in Afghanistan and resulted in no casulalties, loss of limbs and no significient injuries.
Col Schumitz speech was so emotional during most of his speech that one could simply hear a pin drop and at the end of his speech we gave him nearly a five minute standing ovation.
I couldn't resist but to shake his hand and relate a few of my own stories in which I shared that I had implaced the uparmour, commonly known as slat armour, on the first two Stryker Brigades at Ft. Lewis, Washington. Then upon his visit to Balad, Iraq in 2006 our site manager Raymond James rewarded me with one of Col Schumitz's coins.
Also that I was one of only eleven pickers at our entire facility in which we ship parts for the Stryker program throughout the entire world.
Last but not least I mentioned that when our work day was finished I would simply spend my social time at the King Oscar's Motel where I had been a regular for the past 24 years. Not counting the fact that during that time I had lived overseas for 11 of those years.
I told Col Schumitz that the Reserved Officer Training Corp, or more commonly known of the ROTC cadre, were in town and that they liked to talk about their time in combat in which the Stryker vehicle had saved their lives.
I've yet to hear of one soldier bad mouthing the Stryker vehicle.
Related Story;
Stryker vehicles can protect troops better
Source;
http://www.army.mil/article/56202/Armymarks10yearStrykeranniversary/
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Philip Atkins is a freelance writer and former soldier who resides in Tacoma, Washington with his wife Diana.
Copyright 2011 Atkins & Assoc. All rights reserved.
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