AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq (Army News Service, March 23, 2010) -- U.S. paratroopers here recently installed newly-donated off-road lights on their convoy escort vehicles.
Paratroopers from Company A, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist), installed the lights, donated by Off-Road Adventures Magazine, on 15 of their mine resistant ambush protected vehicles.
Mechanics from a sister company helped to install the lights on mine roller-equipped MRAPs and convoy commander vehicles. Company A received 60 of the new lights through a sponsored program called "Operation Light Sabre."
Operation Light Sabre began when the staff at Off-Road Adventures Magazine decided they would help the military in Iraq and Afghanistan however they could.
The magazine solicits donations, and with the proceeds, buys and ships vehicle equipment to deployed Army and Marine Corps units. One of their most popular donations has been the off-road lights because of the nature of the battlefield and the high quality of the lights.
Because U.S. convoys must share the road with Iraqis, the platoon often conducts the majority of its missions during late night hours when there is less traffic.
However, traveling at night also reduces visibility, making insurgents and improvised explosive devices more difficult to spot. Additionally, there is a greater likelihood a vehicle could drift off course, run into an obstruction, or fail to notice other vehicles.
The Soldiers say the off-road lights are a welcome addition to the mission.
(1st Lt. Kristen Nadeau writes for 1/82 AAB, USD-C)
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