Photo By Sgt. 1st Class James Downen | Ohio Army National Guard artillery soldiers of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 134th Field...... read more read more
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GRAYLING, Mich. - Ohio Army National Guard artillery soldiers of B Battery, 1st Battalion, 134th Field Artillery conducted fire missions with their M119A2 howitzers at Camp Grayling, Michigan, on a rainy Aug. 12, 2014. The rain-soaked soldiers conducted preparations for the day's mission in an early morning fog.
The artillery soldiers are participating in "Operation Northern Strike 2014." Northern Strike is a National Guard Bureau sponsored Joint Combined Arms Live Fire Exercise (CALFEX) emphasizing the Theater Air Control and Army Air Ground Systems within the Theater Air Ground System. It blends maneuver, close air support, joint fire support, and air mobility in both major combat operations and limited Operation Enduring Freedom scenarios.
Gun chief Staff Sgt. Brian Crawford of Piqua, Ohio, said, “Most of my gun crew have been together for four to five months, three of us are Iraq or Afghanistan veterans, however, we have some new soldiers. One of my newest soldiers, Pvt. Jacob Heron, has just two drills with the battery since graduating from advanced individual training. My responsibilities as gun chief are to ensure the rounds are put down range effectively and safely. I am the last verification of safety for this gun.”
Crawford’s gun crew and ammunition section conducted several dry-fire missions before firing live shells. The artillery soldiers spent two nights sleeping in the rain and the old refrain of “If it ain’t raining we ain’t training” was heard along the gun line. The dry-fire missions were directed by the fire direction center and broadcasted by radio to the respective artillery pieces on the battery gun line. All commands were echoed by crew members and Crawford supervised the actions of his soldiers.
Gun crews have another level of supervision besides the gun chief. Gunnery sergeants, noncommissioned officers holding the rank of sergeant first class, inspect the gun crews as well. Gunnery Sgt. 1st Class Shaun Parker quizzed Crawford’s soldiers about the need for range cards.
“If a new soldier is added to your crew, they need to know the data so they function as part of the crew immediately,” said Parker.
The Northern Strike exercise is the first time the Ohio artillerymen will fire their howitzers this year. Another safety precaution is exercised before the gun crews conduct standard firing procedures. The first round fired that year is triggered by a lanyard that activates the firing mechanism so no crew members are near the gun when it is fired for the first time. Afterwards, the gun is inspected, and when it is determined that it is structurally sound, the crew occupies their positions on the gun and normal firing procedures are used.
After the lanyard test fire, Crawford’s gun crew occupied their firing positions and conducted fire missions. All commands were repeated, loading and firing procedures were executed with machine-like precision and rounds were confirmed to be on-target by artillery forward observers.
After the mission complete command was given, the artillery soldiers performed maintenance on their howitzers to prepare for follow-on missions.
“I like firing artillery, there’s nothing in the world like it,” said Pfc. Matthew Parker of New Lebanon, Ohio. “When I joined the Guard, I wanted to be in combat arms and artillery was open, so I went for it. The training was great, but I like being in my unit more than advanced individual training because I’ve developed friendships in the Battery. The teamwork and cohesion needed to crew howitzers build up a lot of camaraderie in the unit.”
Twenty-four units from 12 States and three Coalition partners will participate in the three-week event. Operation Northern Strike will occur from Aug. 4-22, 2014, at the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center and Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center. Over 300 Total Force fighter, bomber, mobility, and rotary sorties are planned in support of Joint CALFEX maneuver situation training exercise lanes in order to meet stated objectives for participating units.
| Date Taken: | 08.14.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 08.14.2014 16:46 |
| Story ID: | 139365 |
| Location: | GRAYLING, MICHIGAN, US |
| Hometown: | NEW LEBANON, OHIO, US |
| Hometown: | PIQUA, OHIO, US |
| Web Views: | 80 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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