In the seat of a soldier: Small, dark, hot - LAV-3 Adventures

[GAP]

In the seat of a soldier: Small, dark, hot
Small LCD monitor provides only outside view for passengers in armoured vehicles
Rob Shaw, Times Colonist Published: Saturday, October 06, 2007
Article Link

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- Sitting inside one of the Canadian Forces light armoured vehicles is a claustrophobic's worst nightmare.

Small, dark and hot, the passenger compartment of the Forces' LAV-3 is essentially a small windowless metal box in which you hang on for dear life as the vehicle bounces its way across the Afghan desert. Like most types of military transportation, half the battle is just trying to keep your last meal from revisiting you.

Outside, an entire world flies by -- everything from mud brick huts in farming villages to crowded city streets teeming with vendors on the sidewalk. But for those inside, the only way to catch a glimpse of it all is on a small LCD monitor that plays footage captured by a camera mounted on the armoured vehicle's turret.
More on link

 

[bilton090]

  The LAV is the workhorse of Canadian army transport vehicles in southern Afghanistan. Along with the Nyala and, to a lesser extent, the G-Wagon, they form a seemingly endless number of convoys moving troops and supplies around southern Afghanistan.

      NO G-WAGON'S LEAVE THE K.A.F, the LAV & Nyala is not a transport veh. they are FIGHTING VEH's.
        The LAV,Nyala,or G-Wagon do not move supplies, HLVW's or HESV's move supplies !         
                                                           

 

[geo]

Heh... things weren't any better in the 70s when we'd be scooting across West Germany in M113 APCs
The addition of cameras and monitors is a great improvement.

WRT tossing a few cookies while enjoying the ride.... when you're real tired, you can fall asleep in pert much any place under pert much any condition.  Have slept thru nape of the earth flying (to amazement of FE) - and cross country APC rides... easy.

 

[Loachman]

I've had quite a few fall asleep in the back. Nothing odd about that, and I suppose that it's an indication that they had faith in my driving. The strangest passenger reaction to NOE was one young private who claimed that we brought her period on three days early and she therefore didn't have to do PT.

 

[TCBF]

I've had quite a few fall asleep in the back. Nothing odd about that, and I suppose that it's an indication that they had faith in my driving. The strangest passenger reaction to NOE was one young private who claimed that we brought her period on three days early and she therefore didn't have to do PT.

- She probably just tired of her normal method of getting out of PT.

;D

 

[bilton090]

Riding around the training area in Pet. in Feb, in the back of the deuce & half no tarp on the front or back, no heater -40. But we had to do a 4 hr. road move in black out, once a winter. Everyone asleep in the back, when we stoped there was 6 inches of snow on us.
  Yeah the good old days  : LOL

 

[Trooper Hale]

I've always found it relaxing in the any armoured vehicle, so sleeping is a given. Sure, you'll wake up when you hit a donga or something big but its never really that much of a worry. In LAV's its even better because of the smooth rides on roads. And i've never, EVER had the worry of meals coming back to visit me or my period happening four days early :.
I like that the media write these though, it shows that they do care and they do give people the chance to see it from a soldiers perspective. You never hear of these types of articles here but our commitment is less then yours and we've not had the casualties you've had.
Thanks for posting it up there.

 

[TCBF]

Hale,

What do you call a donga?

Wiki just leaves me with more questions:

"In Australian colloquial English, the (human) p_nis. (More commonly spelt donger)."

- Better straighten this out son, or every female on army dot see ay is going to gum up the Quantas website trying to fly to Oz!!

 

[Trooper Hale]

A donga is something you hit when your driving cross country. Maybe its spelt differently. When your out bush and you've got blokes in the back with broken ribs (happened once), i tend not to break out the dictionary and head more to the first aid kit. ;D
Hale definition,
1) "A term thought to originaly be adopted from Africaan's. Refers to dips, ditches, holes or lips that a vehicle can hit or bounce through while travelling.
In common usage by Trooper Hale's crew commanders, ie 'Jesus Hales, lets try not to hit the donga's and spill my tea!' "
Or, to further the definition you found,
"2) Australian English, a part of male anatomy. Commonly used when referring to a lack of water, ie 'Dry as a dingo's donger'"

Basically, anytime your in an AFV or even a G-Wagon and have to grab the roof and swear after the driver has missed something and driven into it, you've just hit a donga.