Photo By Maj. Joseph Bush | The command of the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery changed hands during a ceremony on...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. – An M119A3 howitzer rang out over Pike Field on Fort Bragg, July 8, 2016 as Col. Christopher S. Moretti fired his last round as the 82nd Airborne Division Artillery commander as he relinquished command of DIVARTY to Col. Joseph Hilbert.Maj. Gen. Richard D. Clarke, the 82nd Airborne Division commanding general, was on hand at the ceremony to pass on the DIVARTY and 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regimental colors to the new commander. He said it was a first for him, as in his many years in the 82nd presiding over changes of command, he had never seen a live round fired during a change of command. He also commended Moretti for his outstanding work at a crucial time in the Army for reestablishing a much needed DIVARTY.
After nearly two years, the 82nd Abn. DIVARTY established itself as one of the premier DIVARTY’s in the U.S. Army under the command of Moretti. He reactivated the unit from scratch on Oct. 16, 2014 after an 8-year-inactivation period. During that time, the DIVARTY assumed command of all three battalion of the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, and Moretti reestablished the Division Artillery Readiness Test (DART) and the Battalion Artillery Readiness Test (BART), key training crucibles that standardized fire command and operating procedures across the “All American” Division. The DART and BART allowed DIVARTY to synchronize lethality of the 82nd Abn. Div. indirect fires assets in support of the Global Response Force mission.
In less than a year, all three battalions were certified through BARTs. Moretti took special attention to attend every live emergency fire mission conducted, to ensure each unit was ready to conduct this complicated mission. In addition to the readiness tests he also participated in three warfighter exercise, one Swift Response, and one Judicious Response and was chosen by the XVIII Airborne Corps as its Force Fires Headquarters while the 18th Field Artillery Brigade Headquarters was deployed. Moretti, his wife Deborah, daughters Samantha, Ashlynn, and son Chris Jr. have been the center piece of the 82nd Abn. DIVARTY family for nearly two years and they will be missed. Next, Moretti will deploy to Afghanistan to serve as the senior advisor to the Afghan Minister of Defense.
Hilbert, coming from the XVIII Airborne Corps as the chief of FIRES, will now take up the flag passed on from the Moretti as he, and his wife Beth, sons Joseph and Jack, and daughter Kate, usher in a new era for the nation’s only Airborne division artillery.
| Date Taken: | 07.08.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.08.2016 18:05 |
| Story ID: | 203471 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 587 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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