Photo By Sgt. Elizabeth Raney | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cory J. Cummings, from Birmingham, Ala., the gunnery sergeant for...... read more read more
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NURISTAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan — Whenever forward operating base Kalagush receives an incoming attack, there must be someone there to react and fire back.
That's the job of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cory J. Cummings, a native of Birmingham, Ala., and the gunnery sergeant for Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 77th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Steel.
Cummings said he was influenced by 9/11 and a family history of military service to join the Army in 2002. He was influenced to choose field artillery by his father.
"When I was young, my dad took me to Civil War re-enactments," Cummings said. "He was the gunnery sergeant for the artillery line. I always thought it was cool. That's where my interest for artillery came in."
As the gunnery sergeant, Cummings has a long list of things to attend to. In addition to taking care of his 19 Soldiers, he must also make sure the maintenance of the equipment is always up to par, he said.
"Every morning, I go to the fire base to make sure the guns have been laid and check on maintenance and ammunition," Cummings said.
Position improvement has also been a priority lately, he added.
"We're taking something that the previous unit had established and making it better," Cummings said.
Cummings said the best part of his job is mentoring his Soldiers.
"When the FOB takes incoming and the sirens go off, the gun line, the mortar team, we all run out and get on the mortar and gun for a counter-fire mission to come down," Cummings said.
"That's the combat side of artillery," he said. "We're on the FOB, standing beside our guns when incoming comes down."
Cummings said he feels his job is mission essential.
"In order for the enemy to think that they can be touched, we need to be here," he said. "At a moment's notice, we can reach out and touch them."
"That's the benefit of artillery, that's the importance of it being here," Cummings said. "There's no threat to them if we're not here."
| Date Taken: | 07.14.2009 |
| Date Posted: | 07.15.2009 08:59 |
| Story ID: | 36399 |
| Location: | NURISTAN PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 283 |
| Downloads: | 260 |
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