Photo By Rick Rzepka | Sgt. Leonard Caliguri, Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment,...... read more read more
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By 1st Lt. Jonathan J. Springer
January 15, 2008
Al Jazeera Desert, Iraq – "Screaming Eagle" Soldiers from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, took part in a combined arms counter-insurgency mission, dubbed "Operation Fulton Harvest," Jan. 11 through Jan. 13, to pacify the restive area outside of Samarra, Iraq.
Soldiers from Alpha Battery, 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, acting in direct support of 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantrymen, fired over 1,100 high-explosive rounds from M-119A2 Howitzers, which resulted in the destruction of enemy weapons caches, training camps, underground tunnel systems, and IED manufacturing cells.
"This is the largest amount of rounds fired in direct support of a maneuver operation this battalion has done since liberating the city of Al Najaf in 2003," said Lt. Col. John Dunleavy, commander of 2nd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment.
Dunleavy said the operations that have occurred across Iraq over the past week, Operation Phantom Phoenix and Operation Iron Harvest in northern Iraq, have been significant in disrupting the insurgency here.
Dunleavy acknowledges that al-Qaida in Iraq has waned since the troop surge and is now on the run, seeking respite in places like Samarra and Bayji.
"This operation is also significant in the fact that, during our time here, Soldiers are not just thinking we will make things better, Soldiers are convinced we are going to win," said Dunleavy.
Operation Fulton Harvest was planned by the famed "No Slack" infantry battalion, also part of the 1st BCT, with the intention of disrupting enemy activity near Samarra.
"This operation was significant in that many of the organic capabilities of the 1st BCT, were brought together to bear on a significant enemy training camp in northern Iraq. This operation will go a long way in showing these insurgents that the 1st BCT can bring significant pressure on the enemy very quickly," said Maj. Elton Crawford, executive officer for 2-320th FAR.
Crawford said that Operation Fulton Harvest marks the second time since the battalion's transfer of authority that the 1st BCT responded with 'critical enablers' such as attack aviation, artillery, and close air support, in response to changes in battlefield conditions.
"This latest operation clearly validates our mindset and one of our unspoken mottos of 'there are many units within the 1st BCT who can perform maneuver missions, but only one that can provide the lethal and devastating effects of the artillery, and that is the 2-320th FAR, 'Balls of the Eagle'," said Crawford.
One of the things that has been critical to the 2-320th FAR's success while deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, has been the pre-deployment training.
"Incorporating lessons learned from previous OIF rotations, 2-320th FAR leaders set into motion an aggressive plan last year to train Soldiers for both maneuver and traditional field artillery missions during our 12-month refit at Fort Campbell, KY. In hindsight, our training plan was right on the money for what we have encountered in Iraq this go-around," Crawford said.
1st Sgt. Frank Alonso, Alpha Battery first sergeant, agrees.
"I feel so proud to see these Soldiers do their job and also perform to the best of their ability. I feel like we made a huge impact during this operation. We shot artillery at our objectives, destroyed or neutralized our targets, and we treated the civilians around the firing point with dignity and respect in the process," said 1st Sgt. Frank Alonso, Alpha Battery.
Alonso also said it was great to be able to work with his infantry brothers during this combined arms fight, and that the battery looks forward to shooting more artillery in support of operations in Iraq. The Army's field Artillerymen continue to be one of the most versatile and effective tools in our fight to defeat terrorism, he said.
| Date Taken: | 01.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.17.2008 12:21 |
| Story ID: | 15533 |
| Location: | AL JAZEERA DESERT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 1,113 |
| Downloads: | 857 |
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