Airmen, Sailors maneuver Humvees around curves

by Sgt. David Bolton
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

5/31/2013 - JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- It's not every day an Airman or Sailor is asked to drive the 7,500 pound Humvee at speeds in excess of 30 mph around 45-degree curves. Service members from the five branches are working together more frequently, on the ground and on the roads with today's contingency operations in Afghanistan.

"Since we're all on one team, we'll work together," said Sgt. 1st Class Elton S. Rush, lead facilitator of the driver's training with the 2nd Battalion, 309th Training Support. "Our goal is to make the training as realistic as possible."

The Sailors and Airmen mounted up in the Humvees; conducted assisted and unassisted ground navigation; traversed steep inclines and declines; and steered the vehicles through a series of obstacles including a 45-degree curve nicknamed the "Indy 500 curve," in order to pass a road test for licensing.

"The Indianapolis-500 turn felt like you were going to roll over, but we didn't," said Staff Sgt. Zachariah Lopez. Lopez is a Corpus Christi, Texas, native and 602nd Training Group broadcaster who is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan.

"We might have to go outside the wire so knowing what to expect can be the difference between staying safe and not coming home," he said.

The instructors' primary focus is to ensure the service members were comfortable driving the M1151.

"All I care about is for people to get a good feel for the vehicle so they can be ready for anything downrange," Staff Sgt. Jorge Leiva, 2/309th Training Support Bn. Observer control trainer.

For Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Victoria Seidel, Office of Naval Intelligence specialist, being comfortable and aware of her surroundings behind the wheel of an armored Humvee is crucial to her mission success.

Soldiers' last training event in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan was licensing on the M1151.

"You always have to be prepared for anything; just don't freak out," said Seidel. "Military is military is military and whatever I can learn here, I'm grateful for it."