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Ingenuity, elbow grease improves Humvee protection

Army News Service

Release Date: 12/03/2003

By Spc. Chad D. Wilkerson

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Army News Service, Dec. 3, 2003) - Ingenuity and improvisation have been hallmarks of the U.S. Army since its inception. Whether it is making something faster, easier, deadlier or safer, Soldiers always find a way to improve upon what they are issued.

An improvising reservist has been using his engineering skills to help provide better protection to Soldiers riding around Iraq in unarmored High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles.

Capt. Darryl M. Butler, a facility engineer for Task Force 1st Armored Division's 354th Civil Affairs Brigade, an Army Reserve unit from Riverdale, Md., is the type of Soldier who is never satisfied with equipment that is simply "adequate."

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee in his civilian job, Butler refers to himself as "an engineer through-and-through."

Butler's outlook: if he believes that he can come up with a project that will allow his fellow Soldiers to accomplish their mission quicker, safer or more effectively, it is his duty to do so.

Currently, Butler is working with a growing team of Iraqi engineers, including metal workers, sprayers and welders, piecing together his new brainchild: the Modified Protection for un-Armored Humvees.

More than 900 pounds of steel in a 25-piece kit make up what has been dubbed "The Butler Mobile," a custom, modular armor plating system designed to be an addition to soft-top Humvees.

The kit includes door pieces, floor plates and a bolt-on fortress for the rear and roof, all of which put a layer of heavy steel between Soldiers and whatever the enemy throws at them, Butler said.

The entire project, Butler said, fits right into the scheme of what civil affairs Soldiers are trying to accomplish in Iraq. Protecting Soldiers while they are traveling to and from their mission locations boosts mission effectiveness and their confidence. And, employing Iraqis to help contributes to improvement of life and economic growth in the area.

With all that Butler has accomplished, with dozens of kits installed and hundreds on order, he is still looking at possible ways to improve upon his improvements.

"There are munitions that the MPAH is still susceptible to," Butler said. "We are ready and willing to beef the kit up even more, if need be."

The bottom line for Butler is not recognition from his command or adoration from his peers, he said. Although he has received an Army Commendation Medal for his efforts, Butler stands firm that he and his team are in the business of saving lives and getting Soldiers home safely.

"This was done out of necessity," Butler said. "With the number of Coalition vehicles hit by improvised explosive devices, we had the opportunity to do something to prevent Soldiers from being hurt and/or killed, and this thing does work."

(Editor's note: Spc. Chad. D Wilkerson is assigned to the 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.)