Staff Sgt. Brian Harp looked out of a hatch on the side of a Stryker military vehicle during a public demonstration in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday.
Stryker debut
Planned isle exhibitions showcase
the new arrivals for spectators
WAIMEA, Hawaii >> Clustered at various locations on the top surface of the Stryker military vehicle are short, hollow tubes like heavy-duty tin cans with their tops cut off.
They are smoke-grenade launchers, and they give an insight into the nature of the Stryker.
Strykers on Oahu
The Strykers will be on display on Oahu this week at:>> Alii Beach Park in Haleiwa, at 66-167 Haleiwa Road, on Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
>> Wahiawa District Park in Wahiawa, at 1139 Kilani Ave., on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m.
>> Waianae Intermediate School in Waianae, Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m.
Their purpose is to create a smoke screen so the Stryker can escape if it comes under heavy fire, Staff Sgt. Brian Harp explained during a public display of two of the vehicles in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday, not far from the Pohakuloa Training Area, where the vehicles will be used in training exercises.
It was the first time the public in Hawaii got an up-close look at the 20-ton, eight-wheeled armored assault vehicles.
"Awesome," said Kiki Kihoi, visiting with her family members.
"I'm impressed," said Waimea resident Jack Bowman.
"I think we're overwhelmed," said Julie Kaaloa, who drove from South Kona with her four children.
Earlier this month, the Army approved the conversion of the 2nd Brigade of Hawaii's 25th Infantry Division (Light) into a Stryker Brigade.
The Stryker Brigade is key to the Pentagon's goal of making the Army a quicker, more versatile force. Hawaii's brigade of 291 Stryker vehicles would be the fifth of six planned nationwide.
The vehicles can carry up to nine troops and travel faster than 60 mph.
Displays continue at the Hilo airport today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Strykers will also be on display on Oahu starting Tuesday.
The two vehicles being displayed are "fire support vehicles," one of 10 ways the Stryker can be configured, from ambulance duty to carrying a 105 mm cannon.
Packed with electronic equipment used to guide other weapons such as artillery, the fire support configuration carries only light weapons for defense.
Sgt. Harp explained the overall purpose of the Strykers. "These are not for attack, only for transportation. They are not like a Bradley (Fighting Vehicle) or a tank. They're just a troop transport," he said.
Lt. Col. Gerald Schmitz explained further: "The vision people have of this vehicle is that it is a tank, and that's not the case. It's not designed to be in a tank-on-tank battle."
But a 105 mm cannon can come in handy for blowing a hole in a wall instead of forcing soldiers to enter a building through a doorway, he said.
The public got a hands-on display of the Stryker military vehicle in Waimea on the Big Island yesterday. In this configuration, one of 10 variations, the vehicle is used to support fire from other weapons. Public displays of the vehicle continue today at the Hilo airport from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The vehicle is powered by a Caterpillar bulldozer diesel engine. "It's surprisingly quiet," said visitor Kihoi. "Our truck at home is louder."Visitor Kaaloa pointed out an upright bar forward from the Stryker commander's post. She had learned that was designed to snag and cut telephone wires or other lines which might otherwise injure the commander.
Although activist James Albertini planned a demonstration at today's event in Hilo, the only protester at yesterday's event was Lynn Nakkim, who quietly buttonholed a reporter and complained about dust that Strykers would kick up at the Pohakuloa Training Area.
Ron Borne, the civilian heading the transformation of the 2nd Brigade of the 25th Division, confirmed that any vehicle will make some dust, but the Army plans control measures such as "road binding materials," chemicals that create a crust that can last for a month.
Laulani Adams, visiting from Kailua, Oahu, considered the Stryker environmentally friendly because its eight rubber tires don't dig up as much dirt as tracked vehicles.
Adams has a son serving in Iraq with a unit that uses the Strykers. Her son's platoon was hit by enemy fire and a soldier outside the Stryker was killed, she said. Her son inside the Stryker was untouched. "I think he's very safe," she said.
Army spokeswoman Capt. Kathy Turner said officials wanted to give Hawaii residents an opportunity to see the vehicles and to meet some of the troops to ease some environmental and cultural concerns that the Strykers will cause more air and noise pollution and inflict irreparable damage to the land.
"We want the community to touch, see and hear these vehicles," she said. "We want to show the community that this is a work in progress."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
25th Infantry Division
www.25idl.army.mil
