Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Brandon Banzhaf | Spc. Jeffrey Lewis, an Anaheim, Calif., native and an M109 Paladin gunner with Battery...... read more read more
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FORT HOOD, Texas – Driving throughout the training area here and along the roads where Soldiers train, there are signs warning passersby of possible overhead artillery fire.
The loud booms echoing throughout Fort Hood and its surrounding cities lets those who hear the sounds know when Soldiers are training, whether in daytime or at night.
Cannon crew members with 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, conducted M109 Paladin qualification tables throughout the last couple of weeks in various Fort Hood training areas.
“I’m responsible for loading the rounds and setting the primer,” said Spc. Shannon Bledsoe, a Houston native and a cannon crew member with the 2-82 FA. “When I joined, I wanted to do something different and meaningful. Now I blow stuff up.”
Bledsoe’s job requires him to load multiple rounds, weighing roughly 100 pounds each, and to pull the lanyard, propelling artillery shells across the training area into the impact zone.
Having participated in a number of gunneries, Bledsoe is a seasoned artilleryman in a crew filled with other veterans.
Spc. Jeffrey Lewis, an Anaheim, California, native and second in command of the Paladin crew, has also been through the ropes completing various gunnies and qualifying with his Paladin.
“I confirm everything from longitude and latitude to grids,” Lewis said. “We need to double-verify everything to avoid any firing incidents. As everything is going on, we yell and repeat commands in unison. That’s so we keep everyone on the same page.”
As an artilleryman, Lewis deployed with maneuver elements and worked with infantrymen, which allowed him to develop friendships and appreciate the skills both career fields bring to the tactical fight. Having seen different jobs out there, he’s happy with his.
“It was cool to be with them but it’s not this,” Lewis said, pointing at his assigned Paladin. “They go ‘bang-bang,’ we go ‘boom-boom.’”
The battalion started its Soldiers with single crew certifications and moved to where they are now — conducting fire missions as a battery, or a team of six Paladins.
“It’s humbling to see Soldiers putting all of this effort into firing,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Edgar Fuentes, a Brooklyn, New York, native and the 2-82 FA senior enlisted adviser. “It’s all about honing our skills, and we want to be the best.”
| Date Taken: | 02.05.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.06.2015 12:37 |
| Story ID: | 153788 |
| Location: | FORT HOOD, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ANAHEIM, CA, US |
| Hometown: | BROOKLYN, NY, US |
| Hometown: | HOUSTON, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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