DONA ANA BASE CAMP, N.M. — Barely two weeks after their equipment arrived, Soldiers from A Battery, 4th Battalion, 1st Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, took their M119 A2 Howitzers to the field and fired 80 rounds successfully Nov. 12.
"We shot accurately and we shot timely — that's really what we wanted to do," said Lt. Col. Michael Philbin, commander of the 4th Bn., 1st FA Regt. "For a unit that's less than three months old to come out and shoot right away is a great thing. I'm very proud of my Soldiers."
Currently the unit has more than 100 Soldiers but about 80 percent of them are fresh out of their advanced individual training. The remainder of the unit is comprised of more seasoned Soldiers who were just as eager to participate in the live fire exercise, said Spc. Byron Jenkins assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Bde., 1 st AD.
"We're all exited," said Jenkins. "This is the first time since coming to Fort Bliss that we're actually calling in rounds. Emotions are high. Being here at Fort Bliss, we can train for both Iraq and Afghanistan because here, it's sandy [and] mountainous — so we have the best of both worlds."
Staff Sgt. Joseph Tuttle, a fire support sergeant from the Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 13th Cavalry, 3rd Bde., 1st AD, said one of the biggest challenges in firing these weapons is ensuring precise communication between the forward observers, the Fire Direction Center and the gunners. The shooters do not see the target; they just fire the round and it's gone, said Tuttle.
"We're the eyes for the guns," said Tuttle.
Tuttle was responsible for overseeing the forward observers during the exercise. The forward observer communicates the target location and necessary adjustments to the FDC which then converts the information into firing orders for the gunners.
"If we're inaccurate or we call in the wrong thing, we can shoot something we're not supposed to shoot — we can create unnecessary collateral damage," said Tuttle. "A forward observer has to be aware of where all the forward units are — all the infantry, the scouts and the commander's intent."
Sgt. Richard Taylor, a section chief with A Battery, said watching his Soldiers fire rounds down range accurately and on target reassured him the training is building confidence within the troops.
"The Soldiers are getting a good feel of the trust they can have in the battery and their leadership, the section chiefs [and] their battle buddies," said Taylor. "This is unit cohesion. This is what builds the trust to be able to deploy and bring all the Soldiers back."
Date Taken: | 11.12.2009 |
Date Posted: | 12.01.2009 14:11 |
Story ID: | 42212 |
Location: | DONA ANA BASE CAMP, US |
Web Views: | 735 |
Downloads: | 207 |
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