Iraq Troops Need GPS Units, Seabee Writes
By Patrick Peterson at Camp Morrell, Kuwait ~ Portable electronics - DVD players, notebook computers, and CD players - fill everyone's pack. But many Seabees have arrived with their own personal Global Positioning Satellite receivers, which they will use to navigate through Iraq. The devices gather signals from satellites and map the holder's location.
"The problem in the desert is that there are no landmarks," said Maintenance Chief Lee Longacre of Eustis, Fla., a member of NMCB 14, a U. S. Navy Seabee reserve unit that arrived Friday in Kuwait.
Military GPS units work fine, but they are bulky and in short supply. And in this country, getting lost is the most dangerous kind of accident. In civilian life, Longacre uses his GPS to navigate his boat through shallow Florida waterways. In Iraq, he will use it to help guide a convoy north into Iraq, where Seabees will rebuild schools, utilities and public buildings.
"With a GPS, you can't get lost. I know it's 7,196 miles to my house," the 19-year Navy veteran and auto technician said. "I told everyone that had one to bring it."
As the Seabees prepare to move north into hostile territory, they are taking all precautions to avoid getting lost. "If I had to send somebody out somewhere, I would give them my GPS," Longacre said.
"The problem in the desert is that there are no landmarks," said Maintenance Chief Lee Longacre of Eustis, Fla., a member of NMCB 14, a U. S. Navy Seabee reserve unit that arrived Friday in Kuwait.
Military GPS units work fine, but they are bulky and in short supply. And in this country, getting lost is the most dangerous kind of accident. In civilian life, Longacre uses his GPS to navigate his boat through shallow Florida waterways. In Iraq, he will use it to help guide a convoy north into Iraq, where Seabees will rebuild schools, utilities and public buildings.
"With a GPS, you can't get lost. I know it's 7,196 miles to my house," the 19-year Navy veteran and auto technician said. "I told everyone that had one to bring it."
As the Seabees prepare to move north into hostile territory, they are taking all precautions to avoid getting lost. "If I had to send somebody out somewhere, I would give them my GPS," Longacre said.
posted by Mike McCarville @ 6:32 AM
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