Fox 2/5 Company Gets Used to Their Transport

March 9 -- For Marine infantry grunts attached to a tank battalion, any ride is a good one.

But when they're inside the cramped compartment of an Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV), the shorter the ride, the better.

The AAVs — known among the grunts as "tracks" — are designed to carry 21 combat-equipped Marines into combat. They must squeeze into the vehicle's 13.5-by-6-foot cargo compartment.

For the Marines of Fox 2/5 company, training with their new tank-borne comrades in the Kuwaiti desert, the first few minutes on board the AAVs felt like a carnival ride.

But the whooping and smiling evaporated as the novelty wore off. The Marines spent several hours bouncing around in the back of the AAVs as they rehearsed their initial attack plan. If they are ordered into Iraq, they will spend as long as 18 hours in the back of AAVs during the invasion.

For a civilian not used to riding in an AAV, the experience is a brutal assault on all the physical senses. For the Marines, though, it's a different story. Many of them were able to catch up on their reading and sleeping.

Hot Food and a Shower

With Fox 2/5's assignment to the 2nd tank battalion came a major improvement in their living conditions. They had their first hot meal since leaving the United States, personally served up by their new tank battalion commander, Lt. Col. Michael Oehl.

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"It allows me to get face time with the Marines," Oehl said. "It gives me a feeling for how they're doing morale-wise — who's waking up, who's not cleaning their hands, who's not shaving their face. It tells me where they're at."

The Marines of Fox 2/5 also got their first shower in 19 days. "I think it's Christmas," one of them said with a big grin as he soaped up.

Learning Their Plans

With the creature comforts of being part of a tank battalion also comes a more active part in the invasion plans. After joining the tank battalion, the men of Fox 2/5 company learned for the first time exactly what their job will be in the event of an invasion.