Photo By Kimberly Hackbarth | Soldiers of Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Stryker...... read more read more
Subscribe
YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, Wash. – When 2nd Battalion, 12th Field Artillery Regiment “Vikings” needed observers for its battery certifications and qualifications, the unit knew just where to turn.
Going outside the unit, the battalion partnered with field artillery leaders from several Joint Base Lewis-McChord brigades to provide assistance with the Vikings’ training.
As part of Exercise Raider Fusion, the batteries, assigned to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division “Raiders,” had to test their skills as trained artillery crew members.
“The purpose of our battery certification and qualification is to ensure that we have a well-trained battery that can fire rounds in support of the Raider Brigade,” said Lt. Col. Terrence Braley, the 2nd Bn., 12th FAR commander.
Col. Mike Getchell, commander of the 4th SBCT, turned to the 17th Fires Brigade, asking their commander, Col. Kenneth Kamper, to put together a team of field artillery commanders and command sergeants major from units around post to aid in the certification.
“We reached out to 17th Fires [Brigade] to provide an outside set of eyes to look at the Viking Battalion and help us become a better organization and to ensure that our certification and qualification is conducted properly,” Braley explained.
As the senior field artilleryman here at JBLM, said Kamper in an email, he and his unit are always available to assist the other field artillery battalions, especially when it comes to providing over-watch on a certification.
Kamper, along with artillery leaders from 2nd SBCT and 3rd SBCT, also based at JBLM, traveled to Yakima to help the Viking Battalion during its certification.
“I think the perspective of ‘outside eyes’ is always important and potentially helpful,” said Kamper. “Sometimes, in a particular battalion, it’s easy to think that, ‘that's the way we've always done it.’ But often, with outside eyes, assumptions are challenged, which inevitably help to make both the [observer/controller/trainer] and the observed unit better.”
The knowledge of the observers proved to be useful to Braley and his soldiers.
“They did point out some great observations and they brought forward a couple of [tactics, techniques and procedures] that we’re definitely going to incorporate,” he said.
However, it wasn’t just the Viking soldiers who came away with new insight, their fellow artilleryman were able to learn from the batteries they observed.
“We certainly benefited from the experience of participating in [2nd Bn., 12th FAR’s] training as our OC/Ts were able to observe some best practices and will be able to take those back to our unit,” said Kamper.
Collaborations on certifications and other events among the field artillery units on JBLM are not uncommon as long as the units’ training calendars line up, explained Braley, which is a compliment to the good relations they share.
“It was a great opportunity that they were able to come out and help support us,” he said. “I’m looking forward to repaying the favor and doing the same thing.”
| Date Taken: | 11.03.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 11.03.2011 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 79508 |
| Location: | YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, JBLM FA leaders advise 2-12 during YTC, by Kimberly Hackbarth, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
