Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/46658
Berg, an American contractor who was captured by militants and beheaded in 2004, and wanted to make sure he was prepared. "When I was preparing to go to Iraq, my biggest fear was getting lost," says Sgt. Heacock. "In training, we'd discuss and try to prepare for worst-case scenarios. In the back of your mind is always the 'what if.'" Meyer was surprised to learn from Sgt. Heacock that the military only provides one GPS device per unit, so he contacted a friend at Lowrance and raised funds to provide three Lowrance iFinder H2O GPS models to Sgt. Heacock's unit. He trained the company com- mander and two former students on how to use them before they deployed to Iraq. The value of his efforts was proven almost immedi- ately. Shortly after the soldiers arrived in Iraq, while traveling at night, their 24-vehicle convoy took a wrong turn into a dangerous Baghdad neighborhood following the lead truck's Army-issued GPS unit. Realizing the mis- take, the convoy commander called on Sgt. Heacock. The Sergeant's donated GPS determined the correct route, and he was able to guide the convoy to safety. When Meyer heard how the Lowrance units aided in Sgt. Heacock and his units' safety, Operation Waypoint was born. Meyer worked through the American Legion Auxiliary and Post 621 to broaden the idea into a full nonprofit program. "Our goal is to spearhead an even larger movement where communities nationwide can directly support our troops in a very meaningful way," adds Meyer. "I believe that every soldier that feels a GPS would aid them in their mission in the Middle East should have one." "The [GPS] unit helped ensure the safety of crews while running convoys through the worst part of Iraq," notes Sgt. Heacock. "It's helpful in pinpointing causality evacuation points and points of hostile action. I even used it to mark locations where we found IEDs [impro- vised explosive devices] to look for patterns and trends in enemy tactics." Improved Hardware With the enhancement of GPS accuracy and advanced features, today's GPS units are better suited to the challenges often seen by the military than when the program began. Operation Waypoint provides soldiers with Lowrance Endura Safari handheld GPS units that contain a precision GPS+WAAS antenna with a 42- channel receiver and three-axis magnetic compass to ensure troops have pinpoint accuracy for proper guid- ance or calling in air or ground support when needed. The combination of touchscreen, simple menus and the ability to control the GPS device with one-hand and gloves on keeps usability fast and seamless. However, the most important benefit is the ability to store up to 2,000 waypoints for areas of safe passage, suspected insurgent buildings, and other items that are marked and identified with any of 193 different icons and then shared among GPS units or added to satellite maps. "The equipment out there is tough to use," notes Sgt. Heacock. "It is susceptible to breakdown. This is simple. I kept it on me at all times when I was away from base." An Appreciated Program The St. Augusta American Legion accepts donations for Operation Waypoint and purchases its Endura Safari handheld GPS units directly from Lowrance, which also provides permission for the organization to copy and encrypt its Middle East mapping onto locally sourced microSD cards. Although more work, this avoids packag- ing and operational overhead costs. After the GPS and mapping cards are prepared, each participating soldier is personally trained on the GPS receiver's operation and mapping prior to taking it overseas. "Each Lowrance GPS and chart card costs $115 after corporate discounts are factored in," continues Meyer. "Unfortunately, there are still times when we can't purchase enough units to fulfill all requests. I lLance Corporal Jon Ott from Winterville, N.C., received his GPS unit from Operation Waypoint in time to take it with him to Afghanistan in September 2011. OCT O BER 2O11 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . C OM 27