Photo By Master Sgt. Kevin Doheny | Soldiers from Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny
1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Public Affairs Office
The long and storied history of the United States Field Artillery dates back to 1775, when Henry Knox was appointed Chief of Artillery of the Continental Army.
During the War of Independence, the Field Artillery evolved into a formidable entity on the battlefield, prompting Gen. Marquis de Lafayette to remark at the Battle of Yorktown, "Upon my honor I speak the truth. American Artillery is one of the wonders of the Revolution."
Throughout the early years of the country, artillerymen were considered the Army's elite. Their pay was above the rate for infantrymen and even the cavalry. In 1784, when all of the Army was abolished except for a single detachment of 80 men to guard government stores, those men were artillerymen. Thus the artillery is the only part of the Army which has been in continuous service since the revolution.
Today's artilleryman still find himself acquiring targets and firing rounds, but in today's fight, he is using more skill than putting eyes on target or pulling the lanyards on his gun.
The Bastogne Brigade's "King of Battle", 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment still operate their howitzers and utilize their proficient skills trying to put "steel on target", but with the vast area of operations the brigade covers, these Soldiers are also conducting operations which are usually associated with infantrymen.
Just as their sister battalions and squadron located to the north of them in the Salah Ad Din province, the "Balls of the Eagle" Soldiers are conducting everyday operations and are assisting the Iraqi people located around Logistical Support Area Anaconda and the battle space to its south.
According to Command Sgt. Maj. Edward Estep, 2-320th FAR, his Soldiers are making a difference everyday in their area of operation, regardless if they are inside LSAA, or conducting operations "outside the wire".
"It is amazing to see the professionalism that these Soldiers have," said Estep. "I see the fruits of their labor each and everyday."
Two-fold mission
The mission for Headquarters and Headquarters Battery is two-fold. The battery consists of personnel supporting the battalion Soldiers conducting the daily operations outside the wire, while also owning its own battle space, AO Hammer, acting as an infantry company.
For the Soldiers whose "foxhole" keeps them within the boundaries of LSAA, their fight is as important as those Soldiers who are out in their Humvees or conducting dismounted patrols.
"Sometimes it is easy for the Soldiers who aren't out in the battle space everyday to think that their job isn't important, but to the contrary," said Lt. Col. John Dunleavy, commander of 2nd Bn., 320th FAR. "Ask any of those guys on the ground and they would tell you the same thing. Everyone supports a mission in their own way. This battery gets to do both, as a maneuver force and the headquarters of the battalion".
The central hub for all operations within AO Balls is the tactical operations center. This hub coordinates all movement within the battalion's borders. They relay messages, coordinate with other moving pieces such as air support, explosive ordnance disposal, route clearance, just to name a few. They are the eyes and ears for the ground forces.
"We track everything that goes in and out of LSAA," said Pfc. Damien Stafford, radio operator in the battalion TOC. "We must know the exact location of everyone in case we need to conduct a counter-fire mission or coordinate air medical evacuation and explosive ordnance response. This is extremely important because lives could be at stake."
According to Stafford, his "portion of the fight" is very important because the information being passed is imperative to mission success.
"I get the information from the troops on the ground; I pass that information back to the battle captain who passes that information off to the command. Once the command makes their decision, which comes back to us, we must relay it to the troops on the ground so they can act on it," Stafford said.
"Supporting the fight"
With long, tiring days of no visible recognition, the motivated troops of Golf, 426th Brigade Support Battalion, Forward Support Company, haven't let the repetition and tireless work get them down.
"The Soldiers in the FSC are the lifeline for the troops at Forward Operating Base O'Ryan and here at LSAA," said Dunleavy. "Imagine our artillerymen out there having to conduct dismounted instead of mounted patrols to distant locations without their vehicles. This would be the case without the tireless effort from the hard-working Soldiers in the FSC maintenance shop maintaining their vehicles."
Making sure their artillerymen brethren have the ability to be mobile, the Soldiers in the maintenance shop work countless hours working to keep the heavily-armored Humvees on the roads. They perform above-operator level maintenance while assisting those Soldiers who routinely visit the shop with daily checks and services. According to the senior mechanic, Staff Sgt. Bryan Lovelace, the added weight of the armor to the Humvees has provided a bit of a challenge to keep the vehicles running.
"We are doing much of the same maintenance as we would do back in the rear," said Lovelace, who is also the shop foreman, "but we have noticed ourselves doing more and more shock and spring maintenance, because of the extreme weight of the vehicles. We are changing at least two to three a day."
Lovelace added, because the Soldiers within the battalion are conducting so many missions, the pace at which they must "turn around" a vehicle, is at an intense rate.
"The toughest thing is, they don't have the time to bring their vehicles here to perform the routine maintenance," said Lovelace. "Eventually that stuff adds up, and routine maintenance becomes much more."
Even with the pace at which his troops are turning wrenches, Lovelace said they are performing above and beyond.
"With the amount of people that we actually have turning wrenches, we are doing twice the work. Seven people are doing the work of 20; my guys are giving all they have. I try to give them motivation by letting them know that they are doing the same work of a unit with twice as many people."
Making sure the Soldiers have vehicles rolling is not the only mission for G Company; they also makes sure Soldiers located at FOB O'Ryan have the essentials they need to sustain operations.
"We provide convoy support to O'Ryan by supplying chow, delivering mail and any other assets the guys down there need," said Sgt. Edwin Lassiter. "It is very important to the battalion to make sure that they are able to have the expanded role that they have."
The company also provides quick reaction force teams, which assist in recovering vehicles on the roads in the battalion's battle space.
Lassiter attributes the company's success to the Soldiers he works with.
"The guys that I have right now are some of the best I have ever worked with," Lassiter said. "The main reason is because they are multi-tasked and are able to adapt and accomplish anything asked of them. They cover down for each other and watch each other's backs."
Expanded role
Most of the Soldiers in the battalion live at the large logistical area known as Anaconda, but a battery of Soldiers call another place home.
FOB O'Ryan is located just over five miles south from the massive logistical hub.
The "Automatic" Soldiers of Alpha Battery are out at the outpost, where it is inviting to the local populace in the area to come to the gate and interact with them. This provides the battery with the ability to actively engage with citizens who are truly concerned for what is going on in the area.
"Strategically it is not a big base, but it makes the Iraqis feel more comfortable in coming to us for assistance and intelligence," said Staff Sgt. Chris DeMarsico. "That isn't something they probably would do if this was a large FOB. A lot of citizens come to the gate and share information and give us good intelligence, and they don't get the scared impression of going to LSAA."
The "Automatic" Soldiers have an expanded role in their battle space. While providing fire-support capabilities with their howitzers located at the FOB, the Soldiers are also actively engaged with providing assistance to the citizens and training the local Iraqi army and police.
"I would say our main effort is providing security to the town of Al Dujayl and other small communities around here, but we also train the IA and IPs and assist with their operations," said DeMarsico.
According to DeMarsico, being at O'Ryan is a bit less stressful than dealing with all the things that come with living on a large FOB. Using this less-stressful lifestyle, he and his Soldiers can have autonomy and focus on the tasks at hand. He attributes his Soldiers professionalism and dedication to being able to focus, sometimes without direct supervision.
"My guys have a discipline that is way above most standards, DeMarsico said. "They don't veer left or right, and they have the intelligence to teach the IP and IA what their discipline level should be."
He also added the unit's autonomy has developed a sense of togetherness, which may have not been attainable at LSAA.
"The camaraderie here is amazing. Since we are all here in this small place, we have learned to adapt to one another and share in each other's beliefs."
The awakening
When most of the units in the Bastogne Brigade made their way to their respective "foxholes" in the Salah ad Din province during the early days of the movement into Iraq, the "Balls of the Eagle" Soldiers were spread to different locations. The "Bold Steel" Soldiers of Bravo Battery were affected by this more than anyone in the battalion.
Originally sent to FOB Summerall in the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry's AO to assist with Operation Bulldog Hammer in November, these Soldiers have adapted to all situations presented to them.
"It's tough not to have a place to call home," said Estep. "Even if the location you are at doesn't have the best of conditions, it is at the very least a place you can hang your hat at the end of the day. Soldiers can always improve their foxholes; sort of speak, but the Bold Steel Soldiers were the "nomads" of the battalion. They did exceptional work working with 1-327, and I was glad to see them finally get settled in here at LSAA."
The development of the Concerned Local Citizens program within the area has been a focal point to the battery. The battery routinely conducts patrols meeting with them, trying to find what they can provide in order to keep the citizens in the communities as safe as possible.
"We take time to stop at the CLC checkpoints and ask them what it is they need on a routine basis," said Pfc. Aaron Hall. "When we do this, it helps us develop a relationship with them, and hopefully they will learn to work with us more effectively."
"It is essential that we support the CLC movement," said Dunleavy. "The awakening in this area has given us a unique opportunity to facilitate the security of the people in the area. We must develop a strong partnership with them as well as the ISF in our battle space."
"I think we are making a difference in the area, I might only be in the turret manning the gun, but I can see it everyday."
According to Estep, it shows the commitment to the mission that the "Bold Steel" Soldiers are out working long, hard days providing support to these checkpoints.
"These guys are risking their lives each and everyday for the Iraqis," said Estep. "Delivering barriers to a check point just isn't as simple as just driving them out to a location and dropping them off. There are risks in everything we do, and dropping the barriers off to a checkpoint turns into a military operation. 'Bold Steel' Soldiers have to check route status, check the latest significant activities, coordinate logistics, perform pre-combat checks, convoy out to a location and provide security while out. Sounds easy, but it is very complex; they are a professional bunch."
Kings of Battle
"I am amazed at what every Soldier in this battalion does everyday," said Dunleavy. "Whether you are manning a gun, patrolling a street or turning a wrench, each Soldier has a piece in the security and peace of this area. We are only in the beginning stages of our deployment and we have a long way to go, but I know with the leadership of our officers and non-commissioned officers, we will continue to makes strides everyday."
Dunleavy also said his artillerymen interacting with the populace have made significant progress to the fight.
"My brigade commander once told me that the most powerful weapon we have in this fight is not a gun, but when a soldier gets out of a vehicle and talks to the people. He was absolutely correct. Our tone, stance and the way we treat the people can be more powerful then a 105 mm round."
| Date Taken: | 12.24.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 12.24.2007 10:08 |
| Story ID: | 14945 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 1,168 |
| Downloads: | 693 |
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