The 409th Cavalry Squadron was the first unit to field test the Badger recon vehicles. The Badgers performed as they were expected to by the design staff at Thomisan Armored Industries. However, one trooper reported to have had quite a rough time of it during one battle.  At the battle of Crocha, Private 3rd Class T. Barclay and his gunner Sgt. P. Hillans were on a scouting mission in a Badger MK II, and were caught by surprise by an enemy scouting unit. The Badger MK II took heavy machine gun fire, and, as a result, Sgt. Hillans was slightly injured, as was Private Barclay. The Badger roll cage was compromised in several places, as was the armored panels on which the gun tub for the autocannon sits. When Private Barclay was released from the field hospital, he took the new replacement Badger MK II, that was assigned to him and Sgt. Hillans, down to the Maintenance yard and proceeded to weld an armored cover for both himself, the driver, and Sgt. Hillans, the gunner. With the help of several mechanics, Barclay redesigned the Badger from the fenders up. Captain Jekios, Barclay's troop commander, saw Barclay's modifications, and ordered the rest of the Troop's Badger MK II's to be modified as well. The extra armor plating comforted the occupants, but at the loss of free 180 degree vision. Even so, the Squadron commander, Colonel Prasser, ordered one platoon out of each Troop to be modified and those were used as light tank platoons. The modified Badger MK II's became known as the "Barclay". Word of the modifications made its way to the Department of the Military. The DoM ordered the "Barclay" modification to become a standard variant of the Badger series and be designated as the "MK IIU/A", (Under Armor).