Stryker Brigade News

An artillery battery is generally responsible for providing infantry Soldiers with direct fire support. However, current operations in northern Iraq have not warranted the fire power of the field artillery.

Although they’ve accepted their new roles with pride, the Soldiers were eager to return to the tasks they were trained to do, step behind their cannons and pull the lanyard once again.

B Battery especially welcomed the training and sound of explosions since they have only fired the guns on two occasions since being deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Before the live-fire, Soldiers performed several dry-fire rehearsals, practicing proper crew drill procedures on both the gun line and the fire direction center (FDC).

As two guns stood poised to take on the “enemy”, the firing crews waited anxiously for their first “fire mission” from the FDC. The make-shift targets were in a distant field outside the base, void of structures and local residents.

The crews had the goal to hit as close to the targets as possible, if not destroy them.
Barnett said it was great to see his Soldiers excited about finally getting to fire the cannons and see the smiles on the faces of gunners and staff officers alike. Passing Soldiers also stopped and enjoyed the sights and sounds of steel being “thrown downrange.”

Accuracy is the key aspect of the battery’s mission success.

“We concentrate on accuracy and not so much on speed,” said Spc. Jason Welch, a cannon crew member with B Battery. “We double and triple check for accuracy before a round goes downrange because speed doesn’t matter if the round doesn’t hit its target.”

The training meant more than just a morale boost to the field artillery Soldiers. It also served as a deterrent.

“The exercise showed our fire power to those who might plan attacks against Multi-National Forces,” Akins said. “We’re hoping that if they see this, they might be intimidated and think twice about such attacks.”

Every training opportunity is important to the Soldiers so they can stay at peak performance if they are called upon.

“If the base comes under mortar or rocket attack, we need to jump on the guns quickly to counter fire,” Welch said. “If we don’t maintain our training, we might get sluggish or sloppy and it’s our job to protect the Soldiers on the base to the best of our ability.”

B Battery Soldiers are not the only ones who benefited from this training opportunity. Soldiers with the 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment and C Company, 52nd Infantry Regiment (Anti-Tank) also participated as observers, much as they would in real-world situations.

Whether it’s cavalry Soldiers flying overhead in Kiowa helicopters or infantry Soldiers looking through binoculars, these units serve as the eyes and ears of the field artillery. As in this exercise, they relayed target locations so gunners could adjust fire and also made sure civilians and structures were not injured or damaged by mistake during the training.

“It was an excellent opportunity that allowed different types of units to work and train together as an integrated Army and the training mission was all the more successful because of their assistance,” Barnett said.

At the same time, the exercise also allowed the battery to perform its certifications which require crew sections to perform live fire training every six months and perform the annual verifications to ensure the guns are operating properly.

Similar training is expected to continue for the battery’s remaining guns throughout the duration of the unit’s deployment.

All the Soldiers continue to look forward to hearing the sounds of its field artillery as a reminder of where their true passions for their work lies.