Photo By Master Sgt. Gary Witte | The mortar section, attached to Company D, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment,...... read more read more
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KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan – When the enemy shoots at Soldiers on Combat Outpost Michigan, members of the mortar section don’t run for cover – they run for their guns.
Attacks are an almost daily experience at the base in eastern Afghanistan’s Kunar province, ranging from small arms to recoilless rocket fire against the U.S. and Afghan troops who live there.
In just under two months, the mortar section, attached to Company D, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, Task Force Bulldog, had almost 1,000 fire missions, according to their records. The protection its guns provide for units both inside and outside the wire is considered an essential part of area security operations throughout the area.
“The crew we have here is one of the best crews I’ve worked with in my entire career,” U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Joshua E. Ferencz, the mortar section sergeant, said. “We have rounds out within a minute of having received the mission from whatever element is on the ground.”
Ferencz, who is from Greensburg, Pa., said good standard procedures and constant practice – as well as every Soldier’s expert skills with each gun system – make for fast results.
“When you’re taking fire, I think that adds to your speed as well,” Ferencz added with a smile.
The company commander, U.S. Army Capt. Dakota Steedsman of Harvey, N.D., noted the importance of the mortar section in protecting Soldiers from insurgent attacks.
“They keep this [base] running,” he said. “They keep us safe.”
Fire missions come at all hours and keep no schedule. The entire section lives near to the mortars and scrambles to throw on their body armor whenever someone begins shooting at the base or a mission is called in. No more than three people are allowed to be away from the mortar pit at any given time.
“Everyone is on call,” Ferencz said. “We get sleep when we can and just work it.”
U.S. Army Cpl. Billy Rose of Saginaw, Mich., a squad leader with the mortar section, said he is pleased to be finally using his specialty during deployment. When he was previously sent to Iraq after his advance individual training, he and other mortar Soldiers were assigned to do regular infantry missions.
“It’s pretty exciting,” he said. “This time it was hard for me to believe I was going [to Afghanistan] to do my job.”
The job doesn’t just mean the deafening boom of firing rounds at the enemy. The heavy gun tubes must be quickly adjusted and moved by hand every time they switch targets. There’s also the careful registering of target locations, the constant maintenance of the guns, and the by-hand packaging of each round so it is ready for immediate firing.
“There’s a lot of work nobody sees,” said Rose.
While the towers provide cover fire for the mortar section when combat breaks out, the gunners are still targeted by the enemy. During one July attack, a recoilless shell struck the mortar pit, setting several rounds on fire. Other incidents have involved everything from small arms to heavy machine gun fire, Ferencz said.
“You aim it, we pretty much get it,” he said.
Rose said everyone in the mortar section constantly listens for trouble – which would mean another rush to the guns.
“We all stay on our toes,” he said.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2010 08:04 |
| Story ID: | 53987 |
| Location: | KUNAR PROVINCE, AF |
| Web Views: | 179 |
| Downloads: | 111 |
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