Photo By Pfc. Khori Johnson | Spc. David Garcia, of Redwood City, Calif., Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd...... read more read more
Subscribe
CAMP ADDER, Iraq – From the outermost reaches of Camp Adder there is a small group of soldiers who watch the sun rise over the Ziggurat of Ur every morning. Although this team of soldiers has the privilege of taking in the scenery of Iraq, they are not simply watching the skies to enjoy the view. They are watching the skies to keep the Iron Brigade safe.
The Slayer crew out of Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division is one of many radar teams who serve as the first line of defense against indirect fire; not only for the Iron Brigade, but for everyone in and near the brigade’s main posts throughout southern Iraq.
The Slayer crew’s umbrella of responsibility hangs over a large section of Camp Adder’s surrounding area, which includes two other Iraqi army camps, a few Bedouin camps, and small villages.
“We provide security for Camp Adder by detecting indirect projectiles and helping provide an early warning for everyone to be able to take cover,” said Staff Sgt. Franky Bunch, of Jefferson, Ohio, radar section leader, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
The Slayer crew, which is made up of several radar operators and one radar repairer, utilizes the firefinder radar system to keep a watchful eye out for indirect fire.
Although essential, the radar team is not the only piece of the puzzle when it comes to 3rd AAB’s defense against indirect fire. They coordinate with many other sections within the brigade to accomplish their mission.
The radar tech crew detects all initial threats and communicates with the brigade fire and effects coordination cell, which serves as the control center for IDF defense, and to the base defense section. The base defense section puts out the audio warning that reaches across Adder once they receive confirmation. This process, from detection to warning, is completed quickly enough to allow soldiers just enough time to take cover.
Due to the changing nature of combat in recent years, many military occupational specialties work multiple missions on today’s modern battlefield. As a result there are many soldiers who have taken on jobs that are not necessarily in their formally trained skill set. The field artillery fire finder radar operator is one of the few soldiers on the battlefield that operates in the same skill set they are trained in, said Bunch.
“This is what we do,” he said.
Thankfully, Camp Adder does not receive indirect fire every day, however the radar techs sustain a busy schedule with frequent maintenance and up keep of the fire finder radar system.
“We spend about 70 percent of our time maintaining the equipment to ensure that it works when the time comes,” said Bunch.
According to Spc. David Garcia, of Redwood City, Calif., HHB, 3rd. Bn., 29th FA Reg., the tech crew conducts functionality checks every day in addition to keeping it clean in order to continue its serviceability.
The team also stays sharp with on-the-spot training and maintains knowledge by studying the radar operator manuals on a regular basis, said Pfc. Bradford Arnold, of Mooresville, Ind., HHB, 3rd. Bn., 29th FA Reg.
Along with training, another way the Slayer crew stays on top of their mission is sleeping where they work.
Instead of residing in the standard living areas of Camp Adder, the Slayers stay on site in order to always be an arm’s reach away from the radar.
Holding such a large responsibility within the brigade requires the Slayer team to spend most of their time at the site, so they try to keep their surroundings as comfortable as possible.
“You should have seen this place when we first got here,” said Arnold. “We took out what seemed like four or five tours of junk left over. Now this place is 200 to 300 percent better.”
The Slayers have remodeled their compound and transformed it from an area reminiscent of a junkyard to a place that they can call home, complete with container housing units, basketball court and a make-shift coffee shop and barbershop.
With good training and maintenance, the Slayer radar operator crew helps keep the Iron Brigade and Camp Adder safe by keeping their eyes to the skies.
“The pressure’s always on,” said Bunch. “But, I think we do a pretty good job.”
| Date Taken: | 11.02.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.07.2010 06:58 |
| Story ID: | 59590 |
| Location: | CAMP ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 435 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, The eyes and ears of Camp Adder, by PFC Khori Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
