By Jennifer Edwards
The Cincinnati Enquirer

FAIRFIELD - U.S. Sen. George Voinovich got to see proof of the hardiness of Humvees.

The Ohio Republican, who is pushing for more funding and wider use for the armored military vehicles, Thursday toured the plant in this Butler County city that produces the "up-armored" Humvees for the military.

Voinovich viewed a vehicle at O'Gara-Hess & Eisenhardt off Le Saint Drive that survived a land mine explosion in Afghanistan. The 12-ton khaki vehicle was blown 10 feet - but protected its occupants so well they suffered only minor injuries, the company's production manager told him.

"This is the kind of stuff people need to go out and do their work and police the area," Voinovich said. "We are going to need a lot more of that in Iraq. These are real people, men and women who are in harm's way who have got families here that are concerned about them."

Voinovich wants to expand the military's fleet of Humvees to the Army National Guard and the Army Reserves. The former Ohio governor also wants more funding in the Defense Appropriations Bills for the Humvees.

Gary Allen, senior vice president of worldwide operations for Armor Holdings, O'Gara's parent company, followed Voinovich on his tour of the 125,000-square-foot plant Thursday. "If industry can provide products that can save American lives, I think that's paramount," Allen said.

The Fairfield headquarters is the company's only U.S. location. There are seven other plants in Latin America and Europe.

This year, the company will provide more than 800 vehicles, mostly because of the war and troops in Iraq, Bosnia and Afghanistan. It also supplies commercial secured vehicles for U.S. Government officials and others.

A 15,000-square-foot extension should be complete by March so workers can make bullet-resistant glass for windshields for commercial vehicles and eventually for military ones. More than 200 full-time employees - from engineers to operations and corporate staff - work at the plant.

E-mail jedwards@enquirer.com