Photo By 1st Lt. Charles Morgan | Binoculars in hand, ready to watch where the round lands, Pvt. Joseph Campbell of...... read more read more
BAGLAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - The humming of generators at combat outpost Khilaguy is abruptly overshadowed by the distinct sound of outgoing mortar fire. It's late in the morning, Aug. 21, and the mortarmen of Blackfoot Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, continue to put round after round through their 120mm mortar tubes.
They work fast, yet with a precision that reflects their high level of proficiency. The rounds they fired were not directed at an enemy, but in support of an exercise months in the making: to train the troop’s forward observers on calling mortar fire and coordinating helicopter support for combat.
For this training, the forward observers, or FOs, are presented with situations similar to ones they could potentially face any day here in Afghanistan. In the scenario, a patrol moves down a road when an enemy target appears. The FOs quickly call for a fire mission to immediately suppress a set of nearby targets with 120mm mortar rounds. With the threat eliminated, the patrol continues, while a nearby team of Apache attack helicopters, armed to the teeth, shifts to support their patrol.
Further down the road, the patrol simultaneously encounters two enemy targets, an air defense unit and a section of dismounted enemy soldiers. The FOs face several challenges, which include, calling two different missions in short succession, determining whether to use the mortars or helicopters to engage the enemy, and deciding on the type of round to use for each target. They immediately identify the threat the air defense units pose to the helicopter and begin suppressing it by firing 120mm high explosive rounds at a regular interval, preventing the air defense units from attacking. Next, the FOs mark the enemy soldiers with smoke, identifying the enemy location for the helicopters to conduct a “gun run” using 30mm cannon fire and rockets to destroyed the enemy forces. In a matter of minutes, the FOs destroyed two enemy targets, allowing their platoon to continue their patrol.
In the final phase of the exercise, the platoon is ambushed by enemy forces. Facing overwhelming fire, the FOs and platoon mortarman swiftly act to suppress the threat using 60mm mortars. Working in teams of two, the mortarman fire rounds as the FOs guided them onto the targets. Their decisive actions end the exercise, but would have had a much more of a devastating impact in battle.
“[The exercise] was a great experience to control air assets, indirect fire, as well as the convoy when we would stop and engage the targets,” says Spc. David Bromley of Reno, Nev., the FO for first platoon.
Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Zentz, the mortar section sergeant from Pelican Rapids, Minn., was controlling the 120mm mortars during the exercise. He commented on the importance of fire support coordination exercises like these, saying, “The soldiers train relentlessly to improve their speed and accuracy at firing mortars, and short of actual combat, this is the best way to test your soldiers. In the heat of battle, nothing will sway the momentum faster than accurate indirect fires.”
The guns fall silent at combat outpost Khilaguy. The background hum returns as the sun fades. The men of Blackfoot Troop relax in the warmth of the night, but are more ready than ever for the day the enemy forces decide to attack.
Blackfoot Troop, 6th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Knox, Ky., has been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom since May.
| Date Taken: | 08.20.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 08.26.2013 07:48 |
| Story ID: | 112587 |
| Location: | PUL-E-KHUMRI, AF |
| Hometown: | ELIZABETHTOWN, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | FORT KNOX, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, US |
| Hometown: | PELICAN RAPIDS, MINNESOTA, US |
| Hometown: | RADCLIFF, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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