When 4th Squadron, 6th Air Cavalry Regiment's Sgt. Samuel Viall saw a costly problem during his tour in Iraq, he proposed a fix that can save the Army some money and possibly some lives, too.

In recognition of his idea, Viall was named 2009 Suggester of the Year for both Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the Army.

The suggestion, a housing that stabilizes the flash suppressor jacket on the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior's XM-296 .50-caliber, aircraft-mounted machine gun for careful extraction, was born from necessity.

Prior to Viall's suggestion, the housing could only be removed via brute force.

The more than 1,000 pounds of leverage needed to loosen the stuck barrels could have undesired consequences, he said.

One example from his time in Iraq illustrates the point. Returning from a mission, the barrel of an OH-58D's XM-296 was jammed into the receiver of the gun because of heat and carbon buildup, Viall said.

Using the normal means of extraction, part of the barrel housing was unknowingly damaged, he said. When fired during a subsequent mission, a flash suppressor tine broke off and flew through the canopy.

"Luckily, it didn't injure the pilot," Viall said.

Viall's suggestion will save the Army more than $39,000 during its first year of use.

A letter of nomination said the improvement reduces the amount of damage to equipment during routine maintenance by 95 percent.

"Previously, Soldiers were having to strap down the receiver to a tabletop or something heavy," he said. "Then they'd pry it loose with a big wrench."

Units can produce the tool locally in their own machine shops, he said.

After word of Viall's invention spread, other Kiowa units in Iraq were lining up to get their hands on the invention.

"The general said, ‘We need this thing now - we need our weapons up,'" Viall said.

Production of the new tool became a full-time job for Viall and others in the shops platoon, he said.

"We made about one per day," Viall said. "They were waiting on a solution."

A year and a half later, after a permanent change of station to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Viall was informed of the award.

"It was pretty amazing," he said. "It was a big surprise."

The Army training manual that covers the repair of the XM-296 weapon system now includes Viall's invention and procedures.

Viall will receive his Suggester of the Year Award in Washington, D.C., next month.

Viall's commander, Maj. James Faulknor, said the sergeant's knowledge and skills are indispensable to the unit.

"His accomplishment really is a great thing," Faulknor said. "Speaking from a maintenance perspective, the ability - in the field - to exchange something this rapidly is an asset."

It can be manufactured by anyone with the same MOS in any unit, he said.

Battalion commander Lt. Col. Charles Bell said he is proud to have a Soldier like Viall under his command.

"His suggestion has great utility across the Army," Bell said.