Photo By Sgt. 1st Class P. Behringer | U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Craig Mumper, a fire support specialist assigned to Charlie...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – “Hang it! Fire! Boom!”
That is the sound of teamwork and preparation prior to the moment a mortar is safely and successfully fired.
Indirect fire infantrymen and fire support specialists assigned to the 1st Squadron, 7th “Garryowen” Cavalry Regiment, 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, executed live-fire mortar training here Sept. 11 to 13.
After classroom instruction, written exams and testing on their equipment, the exercise certified fire support teams and qualified mortar crews on M121 120mm mortar systems.
Bloomington, Ill., native, Cpl. William Shelton, a Garryowen indirect fire infantryman, said after seven live fire experiences, he still gets nervous hanging mortar rounds because of the danger involved.
“It makes you respect your weapons system a lot more,” Shelton added.
Mortar crews must maintain cohesion, because it takes four to five soldiers to run the M1064/A3 Mortar Carrier track vehicle, Shelton said. Every crew member on the vehicle is a safety.
Shelton said crew members conduct checks from the time the round leaves its packaging until it is hung in the firing tube.
“You can’t run these by yourself,” Shelton stated. “It’s not like an M4 [rifle] where you can just go out and shoot.”
Guthrie, Okla., native, Staff Sgt. Ryan Anderson, also a Garryowen indirect fire infantryman believes teamwork is key in this exercise.
“Not one individual can do every task,” Anderson added. “If the team does not work as a team, then the crew will fail.”
There is too much to do, Anderson explained. One soldier runs gun mission data, another drives and pivots the vehicle, a third selects the correct round and preps it, while another soldier assists in getting the mortar tube up and running, hanging the rounds safely.
Burlington, Mass., native, Cpt. Ryan Schuler, a Garryowen fire support officer, said FST and mortar crews work collectively as an indirect fire system where the FST is the eyes of the system.
Because mortar and FST qualifications occur approximately every six months, the teams conduct a lot of co-training, said Schuler. The FST finds the target, and the mortar team running the mortar tube is the muscle of the system.
Mortar crews receive grid information from an FST located between the target and the mortar crew, then fire over the FST at the target.
Schuler said it is important for FST and mortar teams to maintain their skills to support worldwide contingency operations.
Garryowen is preparing for its upcoming rotation to the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif., by certifying platoons and conducting gunnery and troop certification.
Schuler said because the FST typically uses a computer simulator to train, fire supporters don’t often call in live rounds, which is important since a computer screen isn’t the same as a live scenario.
“There is nothing you can do to replicate actually sitting out here observing,” said Schuler.
Although the exercise is slow paced, the soldiers’ motivation and morale is high, Anderson said, adding his favorite part of the training is the camaraderie it builds.
These exercises are the first opportunity for new fire support officers and enlisted soldiers coming from advanced individual training to get out and conduct the training, Schuler said.
“A good degree of their job will be on-the-job-training downrange, but they’re getting the essentials now to set them up for success later,” Anderson concluded.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.16.2013 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 113720 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Hometown: | BLOOMINGTON, IL, US |
| Hometown: | BURLINGTON, MA, US |
| Hometown: | FORT CAVAZOS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | GUTHRIE, OK, US |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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