Quiet ceremony makes history

Photo By Spc. Allison Churchill | Col. Allen Batschelet, commander, Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, uncases the colors of the Army's first fires brigade with Command Sgt. Maj. Gilbert Canuela, Fires Bde. The brigade, formerly known as Division Artillery, reorganized, stood-up and deployed within a year. (Photo by Spc. Allison Churchill, Fires Bde. PAO)  

01.12.2006

Courtesy Story

Fires Brigade, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs

Spc. Allison Churchill
Fires Brigade Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Divison

BAGHGDAD, Iraq - With the quiet uncasing of their colors Jan. 8, Soldiers in the Armyas Fires Brigade marked a new day in the role of division and corps level fire support.

Part of the 4th Infantry Division, the Fires Brigade now flies its colors outside its Camp Liberty headquarters.

"This was a historic occasion, signifying the first deployment of a fires brigade into the combat theater," said Col. Allen Batschelet, commander, Fires Bde.

The Fires Brigade formerly held all of the 4th Infantry Divisions artillery assets and was known as the Division Artillery.

When the division modularized in December 2004, most of DIVARTs direct fire assets were dispersed to other brigades.

The Fires Brigade officially stood up in June 2005. At that time, it gained a support battalion, the 589th Brigade Support Battalion; a communications company, the 324th Network Support Company; and a target-acquisition battery, A Battery , 26th Field Artillery Regiment.

The brigade's independence allows it to support other divisions as well as 4th Inf. Div., said Batschelet.

Currently one battery is supporting a Marine unit and another is supporting the 101st Airborne Division.

Soldiers say they are proud to serve in the newly formed brigade.

"We're able to do more in less time," observed Sgt. 1st Class Dwight Richard, operations non-commissioned officer in charge, Fires Brigade.

Richard, who deployed to the first Operation Iraqi Freedom when Fires Bde. was still DIVARTY, said he is proud of what the unit has accomplished since its conversion in a short period of time.

"I saw the unit lose direct fire units, gain support units," said Richard. "I saw it become what it is today."

One of the Fires Brigade's newest assets is the guided multiple-launch rocket system, employed by the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery.

Use of field artillery in counter-insurgency operations is a relatively new concept, said Batschelet, and procedures are constantly being updated to meet the demands of combat.

Weapons systems are being used in different ways than originally anticipated because "as the enemy adapts, we adapt," said Batschelet.

While the Army irons out the role of artillery in the newest warfare concept, the 4th Inf. Div.'s Fires Bde. will be setting the example.

Other divisions will be assigned fires brigades as they reach the "ready and available" phase of modularity, said Lt. Col. Samuel White in "The Fires Brigade: Not Your Daddy's FFA HQ, Field Artillery Magazine, November/December 2005.

"Some think it's still a concept, but it's a reality," said Richard. "We made it happen."

• Date Taken: 01.12.2006
• Date Posted: 01.12.2006 09:57
• Story ID: 5086