Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Ashley Brown | A U.S. Army Soldier, assigned to A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery,...... read more read more
CAMP GUERNSEY, Wyo. - The Soldiers of A Battery, 2nd Battalion, 300th Field Artillery, validated their field artillery skills June 26 as they stepped closer to becoming the first Wyoming Army National Guard artillery unit since the Korean War mobilized to perform field artillery missions.
A Battery Soldiers, fired rockets from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, at Wyoming’s Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center.
It is an annual requirement for the fire direction center and launcher crews to certify on the HIMARS, but this year it is imperative to mission readiness, said Maj. Robert Lejeune, 2-300th FA operations staff officer.
“They’ll repeat it one more time before going down range,” he said. “But it’s a significant step in their training and their annual certification will carry them forward so that they can be ready to do their job down range.”
The validation verifies the crews are able to receive the mission, input the information correctly to ensure calculations are accurate, affirm the rocket will land on target and then send the rocket when an execution order is given, said Lt. Col. Henry Cudney, 2-300th FA commander.
In addition to the live fire, Cudney said the Soldiers spent 21 days training, not only on their mission essential tasks firing rockets, but learning to protect themselves in a combat environment through warrior task and battle drill training.
Soldiers participating in the training were handpicked by their command, all of whom are sworn to protect and defend this country, said Cudney.
“Some of them are pretty excited they got selected, some of them not so excited,” said Cudney. “There are Soldiers not going that wish they would have been selected.”
Even though the unit has deployed several times during the last 13 years, the deployment ushers in some historical moments for the Wyoming Army National Guard.
“It’s very significant from our standpoint,” said Lejeune. “This will be the first time the unit has deployed to Afghanistan, but, more importantly, since the Korean War, it’s the first time the unit has deployed to execute its field artillery mission."
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2-300th FA was tasked with missions they were unfamiliar with, he said. The new missions varied from security to convoy escorts. A few Soldiers even got the opportunity to go out on embedded training teams.
Now, it is the legacy from the 300th Armored Field Artillery Battalion deployment to the Korean War that continues on. “I think it informs our mentality and our drive,” said Lejeune. “It takes a person who is aggressive, who has a quick mind, and is willing to work hard to do the things that need to be done.
“The kinds of situations we’re going to be thrown in are very demanding of our Soldiers and require a high-level ability.”
Those abilities are abundant in Cowboy State, said Cudney. “There is no better Soldier than a Wyoming Army National Guard Soldier.”
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2015 17:25 |
| Story ID: | 169173 |
| Location: | CAMP GUERNSEY, WYOMING, US |
| Web Views: | 3,898 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 2-300th FA Battalion prepares for historic deployment, by SFC Ashley Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
