Photo By Staff Sgt. Immanuel Johnson | An M28A2 reduced range practice rocket launches from the high mobility artillery...... read more read more
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FORT BRAGG, N.C. - Two tactical vehicles keeping close range between each other drive until they find just the right terrain level for them to park. The back portion of one vehicle rises and turns clockwise showcasing six M282A2 rockets. As the launcher receives the command to fire, a ring of flames engulf the surrounding environment of the vehicle for a brief moment before launching a heavy-set rocket with a boisterous sound as it soars through the air. This is Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, the only active duty High Mobility Artillery Rocket System in the entire Marine Corps.
Marines with Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment are showcasing HIMARS on the East Coast for the first time during exercise Rolling Thunder aboard Fort Bragg, N.C., March 13, 2015.
“We are out here supporting 10th Marines, giving them the accurate fires they need from us,” said Sgt. Nicholas Rapport, a HIMARS launcher chief with Romeo Battery, and a native from Madison, Connecticut. “Any rockets they needed, we were there to support them, providing the rocket capabilities for them.”
The purpose of Rolling Thunder is to exercise, assess and improve the regiment’s ability to shoot, move and communicate in a field environment, while demonstrating to the supporting commanders the capabilities and effects the regiment provides to the division and Marine Air-Ground Task Force operations.
“The East Coast differs from the [the West] mainly because of this terrain. Out in California it’s very hilly, not a lot of woods to contend with,” said Cpl. Patrick Austin, a HIMARS operator with Romeo Battery, 5th Bn., 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division and a native of Goffstown, New Hampshire. “Hilly and open, right now we’re here by trees, we maneuver to our firing spot and fire.”
The Battery is shooting M28A2 Reduced Range Practice Rockets, that shoot anywhere from 8-15km. Several factors have to be taken into account for their employment: The only place the rockets can be fired are within the continental United States for training purposes and the effect of weather must be considered.
“There is usually a regimental unit that flies the [weather] balloons in order to receive weather reports which are then sent to the fire direction center who then send it to the launchers,” said Rapport. “The chiefs verify the data, making sure it’s good, followed by your target location as well as your firing location before launch.”
Following the weather reports, proper terrain is needed to fire that constitutes a flat surface so the rockets may be maximized to their fullest potential.
“I’ve been doing HIMARS for three and a half years. My favorite part is being a chief, I love being a chief,” said Rapport. “There’s a lot more responsibility that comes with the billet. At the end of the day, you are the one that’s accountable for every round that goes out. It’s a big responsibility, but it’s definitely one which I enjoy.”
Many people are not aware of HIMARS and the capabilities they have, it is a new revolution.
“HIMARS extends our knowledge and capabilities, we’re high mobility. The Marine Corps thinks we can do anything, and we can do anything,” said Austin. “We drive in hot or cold, hilly or flat, and we can shoot in any situation; we don’t even need to see outside to shoot. If we’re at our firing point, we get our mission from the fire direction center and we fire.”
| Date Taken: | 03.13.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 03.19.2015 16:37 |
| Story ID: | 157543 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NC, US |
| Hometown: | GOFFSTOWN, NH, US |
| Hometown: | MADISON, CT, US |
| Web Views: | 454 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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