1.

DEAD STRYKER WAS 20-YEAR-OLD FROM INDIANA

Associated Press
June 1, 2004

http://www.tribnet.com/news/iraq/stryker/story/5142716p-5073285c.html

Twenty-year-old Army Spc. Michael J. Wiesemann, from Fort Lewis, has died at Quyarrah Air Base in Iraq of noncombat-related injuries.

The Department of Defense released no information about how Wiesemann, of the Army's Stryker brigade, died Saturday.

Another Stryker brigade soldier died Sunday from wounds following a mortar attack the previous day. That soldier's name was not released pending notification of relatives.

In Wiesemann's hometown of North Judson in northern Indiana, a prayer request was made in his honor during services Sunday. The Rev. Michael Boyd, pastor of St. Peter Lutheran Church in North Judson, said the request was made by Wiesemann's fiancee.

Boyd said the young man had been in North Judson only a short time and he didn't know him. He added that his daughter remembered him from high school. "She said he was a real nice kid, really laid back and kind of quiet,'' Boyd told the Post-Tribune of Merrillville, Ind.

Wiesemann joined the Army on July 8, 2002, soon after graduating from North Judson-San Pierre High School, about 40 miles southeast of Gary, Ind.

Teachers said he was quiet and artistic with a good sense of humor.

"It's a tragedy, when you hear of loss of life, especially like this," Superintendent Roger Sutton told The Indianapolis Star on Monday. "It really has an effect on everyone."

English teacher Carolyn Wyller said she was shocked.

"You never think things like that will happen to your students," she said. She saw him before he entered the military and said he was excited to serve.

Wiesemann was assigned to the Army's 1st Squadron, 14th Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division out of Fort Lewis.

He was a cavalry scout. Wiesemann completed basic and advanced training at Fort Knox, Ky., and arrived at Fort Lewis on Nov. 26, 2002, said Fort Lewis spokesman Jim Symonds. He earned several awards and decorations, including the Army service ribbon and the national defense service medal. He received the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Expeditionary Medal for serving in Iraq, Symonds said.

As of Friday, 800 U.S. service members overall have died since the beginning of military operations in Iraq last year, according to the Defense Department. Of those, 585 died as a result of hostile action and 215 died of non-hostile causes. The department did not provide an update Monday.

Not included in that number is another Stryker brigade soldier who was part of Task Force Olympia and died Sunday from wounds following a mortar attack.

The soldier had been transported to the 31st Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad following the attack Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

--Staff writer Steve Maynard contributed to this report.

2.

HOOSIER DIES OF INJURIES AT IRAQ BASE
By Cathy Kightlinger

Indianapolis Star
June 1, 2004

http://www.indystar.com/articles/8/151381-6928-009.html

A Northwest Indiana man last weekend became the 25th Hoosier to die in service since the war in Iraq began.

Spc. Michael J. Wiesemann, 20, died Saturday at Forward Operating Base Q-West, Quyarrah Air Base, Iraq, according to the Department of Defense. He was assigned to the Army's 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash.

Wiesemann died of non-combat related injuries, according to the Defense Department, but details of the incident have not been released. His mother and stepfather, Karen and Robert Bubac, had not been told what happened. The death remains under investigation.

Wiesemann entered the Army in July 2002, shortly after he graduated from North Judson-San Pierre High School. He saw the Army as a stepping stone to college and a better life, his mother told WNDU television station in South Bend, and went to Fort Knox, Ky., for basic training. The station reported he left behind a 19-year-old fiancee, whom he met in high school.

On Memorial Day, in the northwest Indiana community where Wiesemann spent his high school years, educators remembered a quiet student with a keen sense of humor.

"It's a tragedy, when you hear of loss of life, especially like this," said Roger Sutton, superintendent of North Judson-San Pierre Schools. "He was only 20. It really has an effect on everyone."

Wiesemann began at North Judson-San Pierre High School in the 1999-2000 school year, when he was a sophomore, school records show.

He remained until he graduated in May 2002.

English teacher Carolyn Wyller heard the news of Wiesemann's death on Memorial Day from another teacher, who called her at home.

"It shocked me terribly," Wyller said. "You never think things like that will happen to your students."

Wiesemann was artistic and had a good sense of humor, she said. WNDU reported his hobbies included drawing, hunting and taxidermy.

The teacher saw Wiesemann before he entered the military.

"He was excited about it," she said, and then later added, "I just thought it was horrible that a thing like that would happen to him when he was just trying to serve his country."

In the military, Wiesemann became a cavalry scout and received a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and an Expeditionary Medal.

Wiesemann served in the Army's first Stryker brigade deployed in Iraq. The brigades are an example of the Army's effort for greater speed and reliance on high-tech weapons.

The outfit uses an eight-wheeled, 19-ton armored vehicle that can reach 60 mph and carries a crew of two and a nine-man infantry squad.

By November 2002, Wiesemann was stationed in Fort Lewis, Wash., southeast of Seattle.

--Call Star reporter Cathy Kightlinger at (317) 444-2609.

3.

1st SQUADRON, 14th CAVALRY REGIMENT

globalsecurity.org

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/1-14cav.htm

On 15 September, 2000, at 0930 hours, the 1st Battalion, 32d Armored Regiment was officially deactivated from military service during a ceremony on Watkins Field, Fort Lewis, WA. 1st Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment was activated at Fort Lewis, Washington on Friday 15 September 2000. It is a reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) squadron composed of three reconnaissance troops and a surveillance troop. The reconnaissance troops have three recon platoons and a mortar section. The surveillance troop includes a UAV (drone) platoon, an NBC recon platoon and a number of other sensor systems. The new squadron is part of the Interim Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) that has been formed at Fort Lewis in a move to produce a more deployable force.

The transformation calls for the trade-in of Bradley fighting vehicles and M-1A1 Abrams main battle tanks for a lighter, more mobile system capable of being loaded on a C-130 "Hercules" airplane. The Army plans to equip the BCTs include the Interim Armored Vehicle which will be comprised of two classes of vehicle -- the Mobile Gun System and the Infantry Carrier Vehicle. The Infantry Carrier Vehicle will be the center of gravity for the Initial Brigade Combat Teams. The Infantry Carrier Vehicles will be able to carry a squad of nine soldiers and their gear. They will also be accompanied by another vehicle, the Mobile Gun System.

4.

[Photographs showing the 14th Cavalry Regiment in training at Fort Lewis and learning to fly the Shadow TUAV at the Yakima Training Center, as well as visiting a retirement home in Orting, WA, can be viewed at:]

http://www.14cav.org/w3-d-intro.html

5.

http://www.14cav.org/rsta-1.html

The 1st Squadron (RSTA) was activated on 14 September 2000. Activation of the 2nd Squadron followed on 16 May 2002. Photographs of the activation ceremonies and of veterans in attendance are attached: 1st Squadron 2nd Squadron.

The 1st Squadron and its parent brigade (3d Bde, 2nd Inf. Div) entered Iraq in early December and commenced operations in the region along the Tigris River about 100 km north of Baghdad (between Samarra and Balad) under control of the 4th Infantry Division. In early February it took up positions in northern Iraq between Mosul and the Syrian border replacing the 3rd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. The position of the Squadron (-) at a former air base near Talifar (also listed as Tal Afar) has been named Forward Operating Base FULDA -- in recognition of the last previous time that the 1st Squadron had responsibility for security of a border sector.

The Squadron lost two of its finest troopers in February. See attachment.

The 2nd Squadron is in the final stage of training leading to certification for deployment.

The 4th Squadron was activated at Fort Wainwright, Alaska on 21 November 2003. The ceremony was held indoors. Curt Rosler, Frank Mouri and John Essington were there to represent the Association. Date for activation of the 3rd Squadron in Hawaii has not been announced.

An RSTA squadron is composed of three reconnaissance troops (A, B, and C) and a surveillance troop (D). The reconnaissance troops have three recon platoons and a mortar section of three 120mm mortars. The recon platoons consist of three scout squads each mounted on a Stryker recon vehicle

[PHOTO CAPTION] This is the reconnaissance version of the Stryker - the "HORSE" on which todays scout squads are mounted. (Actually there is another one parked on the other side - only half of the visible antennae belong to this one.)

More information about the Stryker family of light combat vehicles and the two Congressional Medal of Honor winners for whom it is named is attached.)

Reports on action taken to upgrade the armor of the 1st Squadron's Stryker vehicles can be found at the following links:

ARNEWS 15 Oct
ARMY TIMES 29 Sept page 18
USA Today 30 Sept page 17 [see #6 below]

D Troop, the surveillance troop, includes a UAV (drone) platoon, an NBC recon platoon and a number of other sensor systems. An overview of operations and activities of the 1st Squadron's surveillance troop provided by the Troop Commander is attached.

The presence of the 14th Cavalry at Fort Lewis is proclaimed by a large (5' x 8') guidon that flys 60 feet above the green between the headquarters of the 1st and 2nd Squadrons. It is dedicated "To The Troopers Of The 14th Cavalry Past And Present". The flag and the plaque manifest the cooperation of the two squadrons and the 14th Cavalry Association.

The 1st Squadron (WARHORSE) is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Dwayne Carman. The Command Sergeant Major is Brian C. Shover. To visit the Squadron's website click here. While the Squadron is in Iraq it will not be easy to keep this site updated but we are assured that the webmaster will give it his best shot. The postal address for members of the Squadron is:
__ Troop, 1-14 Cav, 3-2 SBCT, APO, AE 09385

6.

IS STRYKER PREPARED FOR THE TASK IN IRAQ?
By Tom Squitieri

USA Today
September 29, 2003 (updated Sept. 30, 2003)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-09-29-stryker-usat_x.htm

WASHINGTON -- The Stryker, the Army's vanguard vehicle designed for a 21st-century force, remains scheduled for its combat debut in Iraq next month despite increasing concerns about its ability to survive the types of attacks now taking place there.

Even before it takes the field, the Stryker is being modified. That's because the homemade bombs and mines, rocket-propelled grenades, and heavy, precisely directed gunfire being used frequently against U.S. forces in Iraq could exploit the new vehicle's perceived weaknesses. Those include armor believed too weak to withstand some of the weapons used in Iraq and an inability to turn in tight areas and climb over rubble. Upgrades on all 309 Strykers bound for Iraq are expected to be complete today.

The Stryker is a 19-ton, eight-wheeled armored vehicle named after two unrelated Medal of Honor recipients: Pfc. Stuart S. Stryker, who served in World War II, and Spc. Robert F. Stryker, who served in Vietnam. The vehicle is designed to fill a combat niche between units built around heavy, slow-to-field tanks and those made up of lightly armed, quick-response teams that lack any support from armored fighting vehicles. Plans call for a total purchase of 2,131 Strykers by 2006.

Politically, the Stryker represents the Army's most important symbol of a planned transformation to a lighter, quicker-deploying military. That transformation is being pushed by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, a strong proponent of the Stryker vehicle.

If the Stryker fails the test in Iraq, it could jeopardize Rumsfeld's drive to move the military from the heavy-armor, big-troop formula preferred by some at the Pentagon.

The Army insists that the Stryker and its various features -- including an array of high-tech communication and vision-enhancing equipment, speeds up to 60 mph and a tire-inflation system that allows all its tires to run even when punctured -- make it ideal for Iraq. "We're going to fix things we need to fix," says Army Col. William Grisoli, deputy director for Army transformation. "We don't look at it as pass/fail."

"Stryker is a quick, low-cost way of making the Army more relevant to emerging war-fighting requirements," says Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, an Arlington, Va., defense and economic research group. "It isn't perfect, but none of the critics has an alternative that affordably combines the necessary protection and agility."

Thompson says that although Stryker is not a "revolution" in military vehicles, it is a practical response to the longstanding problem of getting armor to the fight quickly. "Right now, the Army's options seem to be either taking too long to get there or arriving quick and vulnerable," Thompson says. "Stryker provides a middle ground of greater mobility with reasonable survivability."

But critics say that instead of being the first step to a more versatile, quicker and smarter Army of the future, the Stryker will be a deathtrap.

"Strykers were marketed to Congress and elsewhere as being capable of 'Full Spectrum Warfare' which palpably was not true," says Victor O'Reilly, a defense consultant, in a report on the Stryker for the House Armed Services Committee. "They cannot stand up to heavy machine-gun fire, are still entirely vulnerable to rocket-propelled grenades, and the weight of their increased armor impacts negatively on speed, reliability and off road performance."

By 2010, the Army wants to build a combat force in which a brigade could be deployed anywhere in the world in four days, a division in five days and five divisions in a month. As part of that transformation, the Army has been developing combat-capable Stryker brigades. Each brigade would include 3,800 troops and about 1,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment.

The Stryker brigade going to Iraq is part of replacement units for long-serving troops. That has raised questions about whether the brigade's Stryker vehicles and personnel are being rushed into combat because no other spare troops are available, some military officials say.

Two Army memos, copies of which were given to USA TODAY, underscore the concerns:

ï A postwar report conducted by one Army infantry task force said that its Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles faced their biggest threat from rocket-propelled grenades and ground-directed anti-aircraft fire. That firepower did not stop the heavily armored tanks and Bradleys, but the report warned that infantrymen, Humvees and other lightly armored vehicles "could not sustain" similar attacks. The danger to heavily armored tanks from recoilless rifles and rocket-propelled grenades fired from ranges as close as about 220 yards translates into an unexpected threat for Strykers, which are less protected than tanks, military officials said.

The result: Even before it arrives in Iraq, the Stryker is being cobbled with new, heavier armor designed to withstand the type of firepower Iraqi guerrillas are using. The new armor will give the Stryker more protection but also make it heavier and slower.

Strykers also are being fitted with grillwork that resembles a huge catcher's mask; the grill is designed to trigger a rocket-propelled grenade before it hits the vehicle body.

ï Another internal Army memo says the manufacturer of the Stryker's ceramic tiles, which cover the base armor for additional protection, altered the materials and thus weakened the tiles. That makes the vehicle vulnerable to unspecified fire, the memo says. It also says the Army knew about the problem in February 2003 but kept it from Congress and told military public affairs officials not to address it.

The Stryker's base armor is a steel body that protects it from up to 7.62mm fire, which is normal small-arms ammunition. The layer of ceramic tiles is supposed to bring the level of protection up to 14.5mm fire, which is heavy machine-gun level.

Kendell Pease, a spokesman for General Dynamics, the Virginia-based contractor for the Stryker, says the company is confident that steel backing being added to the tiles will stop heavy machine-gun fire from penetrating the Stryker. About 5,800 tiles -- around 15% of the total tiles on the 309 vehicles -- received the steel backing, Pease says.

"This will be the most armor-protected vehicle outside the Abrams battle tank that the Army will have," Pease says.

That said, the Army says it is aware of the threat in Iraq and is making adjustments.

Maj. Gary Tallman, an Army spokesman, says the additional armor and grill are an interim solution: "There is a (new) armor that is under development right now but won't be available until the spring of '04."

What is being supplied for the Stryker now will "fit the circumstances," Tallman says.

The Stryker is bound for Iraq after one of the quickest turnarounds for a new military vehicle.

Gen. Eric Shinseki, then the Army's chief of staff, proposed the Stryker in October 1999. Shinseki saw similar wheeled vehicles operated by the French military and others when he was stationed in Bosnia.

A small number of Strykers completed their last rounds of tests in South Korea during the summer. That followed a major training exercise at Fort Polk, La., in the spring, where a Stryker brigade was transported by air and rail and deployed quickly to simulate combat.

"We went through the full range of missions, and they accomplished the missions and objectives we gave them," says Lt. Gen. Edward Soriano, commanding general at Fort Lewis, Wash., where the first Stryker brigades are based. "The learning curve was steep."

As for the reported problems with the Stryker, Soriano says, "We will have an action plan to fix things."