Army Captain Jillian Collins Barbie Dreamhouse

[bigwheelzip]

The Army is having a contest for the best tank name, and I thought this name was great.
During 3rd Infantry Division's qualifying gunnery exercise, the tank commanded by Lt. Jillian Collins shot in the "Distinguished" catagory and scored 934/1000 qualifying on 10/10 engagements.
Collins said that being a Tank Commander was her dream job, and every little girl dreams of having a Barbie Dreamhouse, and that for her, "it became my Tank".
Bravo Capt. Collins and crew.


We salute the Army crew that named their tank 'Barbie Dreamhouse' - Task & Purpose

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[df06]

Good for her!

 

[vonn]

Don't think she plays with dolls.

 

[Ziggy2525]

The only thing more attractive than a beautiful, smart, talented woman that carries a big gun is a beautiful, smart, talented woman that smokes cigars and has a big gun that carries her around.

 

[LVSteve]

The only thing more attractive than a beautiful, smart, talented woman that carries a big gun is a beautiful, smart, talented woman that smokes cigars and has a big gun that carries her around.

Either the big gun or a Viper.

 

[Harrison]

I doubt that she shot a single round. Her gunner aimed and shot that score.

 

[old tanker]

I doubt that she shot a single round. Her gunner aimed and shot that score.

No, the gunner is not the only one to shoot. The tank commander has a main gun engagements fired from the TC's override. The TC also has several machine gun engagements that are part of that score. At least one of those engagements will be simultaneous, with the gunner engaging a target with the coax while the TC engages another with the .50.The loader has his machinegun engagements as well. There will likely be at least one engagement while in chemical protective gear. The whole crew as a CREW is evaluated and that includes fire commands and crew duties.

Shooting "Distinquished" means all four crewmembers did their job. Shooting at targets a mile and a half away while traveling at 30 or 40 miles an hour requires the driver to provide a steady a platform as he can.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Shooting "Distinquished" means all four crewmembers did their job.

Thank you Sir for taking the time to shine light on the qualification process. Having only seen armor action in movies, I'd imagined it is challenging, but your description of qualification is enlightening and goes well beyond what the "big screen" shows.
I appreciate the education, and thank you for your service.




Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[JJEH]

Love it

 

[Rudi]

I love it when girls have their own guns.

 

[Kinman]

Holy Cow...It takes a Lieutenant to command a tank today? That used to be an E-6 position.

 

[Sistema1927]

Holy Cow...It takes a Lieutenant to command a tank today? That used to be an E-6 position.

Platoon Leader would be an O-1 or O-2.

My Military Career came to a screeching halt when a newly minted "butter bar" decided that he was going to command my tank, relegating me to the driver position as the only crew member of the crew that he cobbled together with a driver license. He led us off a 15 ft. cliff, put me in the hospital with a broken back, and ended both of our careers. He was an ROTC officer, hadn't been to AOB yet, and they gave him a choice of court martial, along with statement of charges for my medical care and damages to the tank, or resignation of commission. I ended up medically retired, he ended up out on the street.

There is nothing in this universe more dangerous than a 2nd Lt.

 

[old tanker]

One more quick thing to point out, that picture was taken at night. From the cigars and smiles, I'd surmise it's just after their debrief on a successful night run. The qualification table consists of two runs, one in daytime, one at night, against an array of stationary and moving targets.

 

[vigil617]

Platoon Leader would be an O-1 or O-2.

My Military Career came to a screeching halt when a newly minted "butter bar" decided that he was going to command my tank, relegating me to the driver position as the only crew member of the crew that he cobbled together with a driver license. He led us off a 15 ft. cliff, put me in the hospital with a broken back, and ended both of our careers. He was an ROTC officer, hadn't been to AOB yet, and they gave him a choice of court martial, along with statement of charges for my medical care and damages to the tank, or resignation of commission. I ended up medically retired, he ended up out on the street.

There is nothing in this universe more dangerous than a 2nd Lt.

Thank you for your service also, Sistema. What happened to you was wrong on so many levels. I hope that you have been able to recover from your injuries sufficiently to either be back to where you were before, or as close to it as possible so you could continue to do whatever you wanted to do post-Army in the aftermath of this tragedy.

 

[CH4]

Thinking my GI Joe would have been checking that out!

 

[Sistema1927]

Thank you for your service also, Sistema. What happened to you was wrong on so many levels. I hope that you have been able to recover from your injuries sufficiently to either be back to where you were before, or as close to it as possible so you could continue to do whatever you wanted to do post-Army in the aftermath of this tragedy.

Thanks. That was almost 35 years ago. I served 4 years on active duty with not even a scratch, and that happened while serving with the TXANG during the time that I was getting started in grad school. I still have some pain each morning, some limited range of motion, and a definite loss of balance. But, I have been able to persevere and live life to the fullest.

Like they say "all gave some, some gave all". Just glad that I wasn't in the latter category. If we had a Gunner on board that day, he probably would have been killed. The idiot 2nd Lt. was standing at the TC hatch, and the E-1 Loader was standing at his hatch. They were able to withstand the impact by flexing their legs, but my backside took a couple of really hard jolts.

Funny thing was, we were climbing a rise, I backed off the speed not able to see over the front slope, and Idiot told me "Sgt. Sistema, we were ordered to maintain 12 mph". I bought the M60 back up to speed, and we then pitched over the cliff.

 

[bigwheelzip]

All gave some, some gave all.

Sorry to read of your accident caused by such carelessness. It really highlights the importance of crew competence that Old Tanker wrote about.
I'm glad you've persevered. Thank you for your service.



Sent from my SM-T510 using Tapatalk

 

[yaktamer]

If you read the article she's a Captain now.

 

[bigwheelzip]

She was a LT. at the time of the tank qualification and naming. She was promoted to Capt. by the time the article was written.

 

[bigwheelzip]

I wonder where she's at ...... ?

I also was curious about her, and tried to find out some more, without much success. Found only that she still serving after graduating West Point 5 years ago, and has over 300 parachute jumps.