What Is a Tanker?

I think what makes a good tanker is a guy who is interested in mechanics and automotives. He understands gunnery and likes to be able to shoot. He likes to get in and make things happen. He doesn't want to go into the fight unless he can knock you out. lt might be too harsh to say that you need a killer instinct. Maybe we're a little bit like bullies, too. We like to have the edge. We like to be able to know that when we arrive, we're going to be king of the hill. Armor that began as a platoon leader in the 5th Cavalry in Korea in 1958. McVey commanded armor and cavalry units at the company, battalion, and brigade levels. When not in units, he was often involved in the development and fielrung of the Abrams tank. He was the chief of the Washington, D. C., office for the Abrams program manager during the tank's first fielrung; as the chief of the XM I new equipment transition training team, he trained the first battalion that received Abrams tanks. He later fielded the first Abrams tanks in Europe while serving as the initial chief of the materiel fielrung team in Vil-Sgt. Hobart Drew, a tanker of the 37th Tank Battalion, 4th Armored Division, in a photo taken in 1944. I don't know how to characterize that. Armor guys will hurt you. I think they enjoy it. Armor guys will travel for hours and swallow dust, dirt, and grime, just to lay their sights on a target and shoot. They like to make a rufference. You know that when they get there, they seck, Gennany. His final assignment, lasting over six years, was as the first program executive officer for armored systems modernization. During the interview with Mr. Kornacki and Dr. Prentiss on 10 August 1993, General McVey repeatedly used the tenn "tanker." The interviewers recalled what my boss had said about the term and that I had described McVey's personality simply by observing that he was a typical "tanker." By the end of the session, Dr. Prentiss could restrain himself no longer - he had to have clarification. "General McVey," he asked, "what are the key characteristics of a tanker?" General McVey's response captured the essence of our being: That's a tough question to answer. We tankers come in all varieties. I started out as an infantryman myself. both enlisted and after going through officer canrudate school. I liked the infantry. But I got assigned to Ft Meade and started working with the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment. I said: "Now, will make that difference. You become very confident. I know very few tentative Armor officers. When you're wrapped around with 65 to 68 tons of steel and can go 35 miles an hour and you reach down there and punch one off and see something blow up that a couple of seconds ago was a major threat, you do get kind of cocky and confident. We'll hurt you. Not everybody who wears Armor brass walks around beating his chest. But, in their hearts they know that they can be a terrible amount of punishment to you if they're in their tanks. So, we let them all run their mouths and we run our tanks. How do you characterize that? I don't know. But, I am glad I am one! Lieutenant Colonel Steve E. Dietrich was commissioned in Armor from USMA in 1976. He is currently writing a book-leng1h monograph on the M1 A 1 tank rollover program of Operation DESERT SHIELD/ STORM that MG McVey oversaw.