Fort Riley ? Sgt. Paul Purdham can sit in the gunner’s turret of an M2 ODS Bradley Fighting Vehicle and explain the intricate details of sighting and firing its guns and missiles.

He also can explain it succinctly.

“It’s just like using a rifle scope to hunt deer,” the 32-year-old Lawrence man said.

Purdham, a full-time Guardsman, and other members of the Lawrence- and Kansas City-based Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 137th Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the Kansas National Guard have spent the past three weeks qualifying to take their Bradleys to war.

They are doing quite well, Guard commanders said. So well, in fact, that they passed gunnery qualifications with scores about as good as they could be.

The unit, which for the past several years has been on the verge of dissolution, has new equipment and new life. And members know that means they’re likely to earn a trip to Iraq in the next several months.

“We will be more than ready when the time comes,” said E-4 Specialist Allen Hill, 36, Lawrence. “We will more than likely be there soon. As for when that time comes, I don’t know. It’s just a matter of time.”

Last year the 2-137 took possession of more than 40 Bradley ODS (Operation Desert Storm) vehicles for guardsmen in Lawrence, Kansas City, Kan., and Wichita.

Each is worth about $1.3 million, with new technology and stronger armor than personnel carriers in use by active duty troops in Iraq. Guardsmen have been training on them the past seven months.

A quartet of M2 ODS Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles motors into position during gunnery training at Fort Riley. The 2nd Battalion, 137th Mechanized Infantry Regiment of the Kansas National Guard demonstrated the vehicles Tuesday.

“This is the newest piece of equipment in the Army,” Col. Robert Smith said.

Bradleys have been used by the Army since the early 1980s, but the latest model is only being used by about one-third of the regular Army units. That is a tribute to the 2-137th’s reputation and past performance, Smith and others said.

And that is boosting the unit’s prestige and its membership.

“I think this is one of the best Guard units in the U.S.,” said Brig. Gen. Jon Small, assistant adjutant general and commander of the Kansas National Guard. “This battalion has performed very, very well. It has always been recognized nationally for its contributions.”

Can take a licking

Binoculars take on a green hue as Command Sgt. Maj. Steve Rodina, Topeka, tracks a missile launched by a M2 ODS Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. Rodina, a member of the Kansas Army National Guard, was on hand for gunnery training on Tuesday at Fort Riley.

The $1.3 million Bradley carries three crewman — commander, gunner and driver. It also can carry seven infantryman who dismount to do their fighting. The Bradley then supports them with its firepower.

The Bradley also has a thick skin that can withstand all but some missile and tank fire. Only especially large roadside bombs could hurt it in Iraq, soldiers said.

“I can’t say it is impenetrable, but I can say this will take a licking,” Hill said, nodding to the Bradley.

Hill, who works as a truck mechanic in Ottawa, has spent 15 years in the Guard after he left active Army duty. He is a radio-telephone operator who assists his commander in keeping track of other units and staying in contact with commanders in the rear. He said he was impressed with the new Bradley.

Army Pfc. Joe Shelton, Lawrence, enters the driver's seat of his M2 ODS Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle at Fort Riley. Shelton, a freshman at Kansas University, said he enlisted because the army offered him money for college. Shelton displayed the M2's versatility on Tuesday.

“No other platform has the capability of putting troops precisely where they need to be at the right time,” he said.

E-4 Specialist Shawn White, a gunner, agreed. He said the new Bradleys were an impressive war machine and he’d rather be a gunner than work any other job on the vehicle.

“It’s a lot better than walking around or riding in the back,” said White, who joined the Guard for money to attend college. He is a junior at Washburn University.

Qualifying with his guns had been fun, White said.

“They gave us all the ammo we could want, and it was awesome to be able to shoot and not hold back,” he said.

Preparing for war

After staying up all night for gunnery practice, Spcs. Scott Allen, left, Olathe, and Allen Hill, Lawrence, rest inside the cabin of their M2 ODS Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The duo participated in the 2-137 Infantry's gunnery and TOW Missile shoot on Tuesday at Fort Riley.

Tuesday the 2nd Battalion put on a firing demonstration for about 100 special guests at Fort Riley, including city and county officials from across Kansas as well as some state legislators. Alpha’s Bradleys fired their 25 mm cannons and 7.62 mm machine guns at targets at a shooting range.

Among those watching was State Rep. Tom Sloan, R-Lawrence. He was impressed.

“Obviously they are preparing to go to war,” Sloan said. “They are our neighbors. They are English teachers and mechanics. They are called on to do a lot of things. They answer to the governor of Kansas and to the president.”

Two years ago the 2-137th was sent to Germany to provide security at Army bases. It has done an exemplary job whenever it has been called to duty, commanders said. On Sept. 1, the 137th could become part of the 218th Enhanced Brigade from South Carolina in the Army’s 24th Infantry Division based at Fort Riley.

“What they are doing here is extremely important to our nation and our state,” Guard Col. Robert Smith said.

A pair of Blackhawk helicopters are displayed at Fort Riley. The army base held a gunnery demonstration on Tuesday for VIP visitors including state and local government officials, media and family.