The Uber of the Battlefield

By DIA

They called it a Humvee, but for those of us who rode in it, it was the battle wagon of the 21st-century grunt. This beast on wheels didn’t care if it was in the mountains of Afghanistan or the heat-blasted streets of Baghdad. Wherever we went, it showed up, strapped in, and ready to roll. Once uparmored during the height of the Iraq War, the humble HMMWV earned its nickname: the “Turtleback.” Heavy, armored, and about as subtle as a sledgehammer, it became the symbol of every patrol, every convoy, and every run-down Route Irish.

The Humvee was never designed for comfort. It rattled, groaned, and threatened your spine every time you hit a pothole. But you knew once those doors slammed shut, you had a better shot of coming home. It became the unit workhorse, hauling troops, towing gear, and turning into a mobile shield when the gunfights broke out. Gunners lived in the turret. Drivers swore at the steering wheel. And the rest of us? We trusted that old beast to get us through another day and back to the FOB.

Our “Turtle Power” design is for every veteran who spent more time in the back of a Humvee than they care to admit. For every busted axle, every dusty windshield, every rip-it and MRE wrapper ground into the floorboards, it was ours. It carried warriors. It carried memories. It carried the mission. And it damn well carried the weight of war.

Here's to our 21st-century legendary Uber of the battlefield.