Photo By 1st Lt. Amy Abbott | Soldiers of Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, shoot the...... read more read more
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KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan– The Soldiers of Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment, have spent the year getting the most bang for their buck. Having shot over 6,000 rounds, thus far, in 2010 they remain the most active “Big Guns” battery in country.
At Forward Operating Base Wright, the M777 Howitzers have been fired so often, currently by 2nd Platoon Soldiers, the locals have dubbed the base Top Chi, which is Pashtu for the Big Guns.
“It’s just like football; you got your offensive line and your defensive line,” explained U.S. Army Spc. David Kennedy, a 2nd Platoon gunner on the M777 Howitzer from Wooster, Ohio. “We’re the offense. If the infantry cannot get through they’re going to call us and we’re going to bust down the defensive line and run it right up the middle.”
With Kunar province continuing to have one of the highest numbers of significant activities in Afghanistan for 2010, for the artillery men of 2nd Platoon, that call comes often, day and night. The M777 Howitzer shoots an array of 155mm artillery rounds; a three foot, 110 pound projectile with deadly accuracy that can reach 30,000 meters with a kill radius of 50 meters.
“When people actually need our help and they need it bad, we’re able to provide it without any issues,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Hoye Royals, platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon from Myrtle Beach, S.C. “The enemy knows when we shoot that thing, if they can hear it; they know it’s coming their way. They stop what they’re doing and head somewhere else.”
When Coalition forces are in need of the Big Guns, the call gets put in to the Fire Direction Center, also manned here by members of 2nd Platoon. The FDC processes the missions and inputs the technical data such as temperature, wind speed and elevations.
“It takes everybody doing their job to get it done,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Garrie Brumley, a gunnery sergeant with 2nd Platoon from Cincinnati, Ohio. “In my opinion we have some of the best Soldiers out there. They’re all extremely hard working and dedicated to their job.”
Then the mission goes to the pit, where the guns are. Whichever type of round is needed, whether high explosives for blowing something up or smoke rounds for coverage and concealment, it is then picked up and put it on the loading tray. Another Soldier operating the breech lowers the tray so the round can be loaded with a “banana rammer,” a large ramming staff long and curved, used to push the round up and seat it.
The cannoneer number two loads the propellant behind the round enabling it to fire. Once done, the breech is closed and the gunner and assistant gunner step in. The gunner is in charge of moving the tube left or right to determine the direction needed and the assistant gunner elevates or depresses the tube to set the distance.
“We can range the enemy from anywhere,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Sean Strobel, the combat medic with the platoon who, when he has time off from supporting fire missions, volunteers with the 555th Forward Surgical Team here. “The enemy can be on the backside of a mountain, surrounded by his buddies and mountains on both sides, and we can drop a round straight down on him.”
When the gunner’s have everything set, they call out their quadrant and deflection for the chief to verify, who will then call everyone to “stand by.” Then the number two man primes the weapon, using a blank so when the firing pin hits the back of it, it simply shoots fire. Once primed, the chief will give the order to fire and the number one man will pull the lanyard.
“Our job is so physically and mentally demanding it makes it a really tough job,” said Kennedy, who has been in the Army for four years and recently reenlisted for six more. “But I think day to day about when I started out in this battery versus where I am now -- I have even more of a love for this job.”
On an average shoot, the platoon fires anywhere from four to 10 rounds, often several times a day.
“Nobody else shoots as much as our battery,” said Brumley. “Anytime there is a unit out and they come under fire, all they have to do is call whoever they call ... and we start shooting for them. Everybody hates it when something goes wrong out there so the rewarding part is just knowing we’re here to help get them out of a tight spot.”
The team deployed to Afghanistan from their home post at Fort Bragg, N.C., in January. In addition to their leadership, the FDC and their Soldiers working in the pit, the platoon also has a generator mechanic supporting the FOB mayor and a combat medic who volunteers with the FST.
“I consider my second (military occupational specialty) artillery man,” said Strobel, who is from Russell, Kan., and has spent his four years in the Army with the field artillery unit. “I work on the guns as much as I can and these are my guys. I’m not afraid of getting dirty. I love the amount of energy and effort it takes to sustain day to day operations. It’s not a job for the weak to be in an artillery unit at all -- that’s what I really enjoy about it.”
“We train the other MOS’s so that when stuff hits the fan and we need extra people, they can come down here and shoot on the guns just as any of our Soldiers can,” added Royals. “Even though their job is not really artillery, they help us out a lot whenever we need it.
When the 321st FAR deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom December 2007, and became mission capable Jan. 2008, it made them the first U.S. Army unit to utilize the M777 in combat in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Bravo Battery, with platoons here, at FOB Bostick and FOB Blessing, continues setting records by being the most fired M777 battery in Afghanistan. They also have expanded their proficiency with new weaponry such as the GPS-guided Excalibur ammunition.
Bravo Battery will remain in country until 2011.
“You train together, you fight together, and you come here and do your job,” said Kennedy. “That’s what we came to do, and the next step is just coming home.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2010 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 52264 |
| Location: | KUNAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 657 |
| Downloads: | 242 |
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