Mack 3P Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 SPC Robert Cole, above left, and SPC Nicholas McDowell sit on their Buffalo bomb-disposal vehicle in western Iraq with their Bulldog hood ornament proudly mounted on the front. SPC Robert Cole was on patrol when his vehicle was struck by a car bomb, an all-too-familiar occurrence in war-torn Iraq. Fortunately Cole was driving the Army's Buffalo mine disposal vehicle. Built on a Mack chassis, the Buffalo is a thickly armored vehicle that seeks out and disposes of deadly improvised explosive devices, or IEDs. Its 30-foot retractable arm has a camera to help the operator inside see what he's doing and a claw-like rake for finding and detonating the roadside bombs. Cole operates the Buffalo while another member of his platoon, SPC Nicholas McDowell, operates the arm. Both are members of 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company. Operating in western Iraq, their primary mission is route clearance and IED removal. The pair was investigating a suspicious site with the Buffalo near Fallujah when the attack occurred. "We were continuing our mission after stopping when the attack occurred," he said. "The car had pulled off the side of the road initially and did not appear to be a threat, evidencing no suspicious behavior or appearance. As we were moving by the vehicle, the driver detonated the device concealed in his vehicle. The resulting detonationen gulfed the Buffalo in a fireball and threw scrap and debris over several hundred meters." Fortunately neither soldier was hurt. "The only damage to the vehicle was two blown tires and our Mack Bulldog® ornament, which proudly wore an American flag cape," Cole said. "Shrapnel damaged his leg so we decided to remove him as not to disgrace the Mack quality built into the vehicle, which has saved our servicemen from getting hurt due to the cowardly tactics used by the enemy." Mack Trucks, Inc. responded by sending Cole a half dozen hood ornaments, and its warmest thanks for a job well done. "We plan on mounting these ornaments proudly on several of the vehicles in our fleet," Cole said. In the meantime, "We managed to touch up, clean and re-mount the original hood ornament. Hank, as he is known, is riding proudly again on our Buffalo with steadfast determination." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrem Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Cool! Any more pictures of the Buffalo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullfuel01 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 even the dog is bullet proof! these fellas got lot of guts to be driving sucha truck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog man Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Cool deal good to see our guys & gals have a serving our country May our guys & gals have a safeone & come home to thier loved ones . Any more pics Mack 3p ? later or aka Quote You Cant Fix Stupid. But You Can Numb It With A Sledgehammer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mack 3P Posted January 17, 2007 Author Share Posted January 17, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbrem Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Thanks for the pictures. That's one impressive looking rig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thermodynediesel Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Great story guys, keep up the good job and stay safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldoggin' Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 Cool rig! Quote KEEP THE BLACK SMOKE ROLLIN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coalbucket Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Cool! Any more pictures of the Buffalo? check this outhttp://www.forceprotection.net/news/video....video=discovery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lmackattack Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 cool link !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackboy Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 what a cool video thanks for the link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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