Photo By Sgt. 1st Class James Aloffo | Pfc. Jonathon Owens, a cannon crewmember from Morwich, Conn., provides security during...... read more read more
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By Sgt. 1st Class James Aloffo
4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
JOINT SECURITY STATION ZAFARANIYAH, Iraq — A deployed artilleryman assigned to Battery A, 5th Battalion, 25th Artillery Regiment, finds himself in an unusual role.
Pfc. Jonathon Owens, who hails from Morwich, Conn., is a cannon crewmember but he has yet to touch a cannon since his arrival to eastern Baghdad in November. Instead, he is fulfilling an unfamiliar role as a member of a dismounted maneuver fire team with Battery A, 5th Battalion, 25th Artillery Regiment, which is part of Multi-National Division – Baghdad's 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light).
This nontraditional role is not necessarily unusual for artillerymen deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In fact, Owens said he finds hi new role both challenging and exciting because each day brings something just a little bit different.
"It's pretty wild," said Owens. "Sometimes we're out doing combat patrols in the morning or afternoon, and that night we might be doing a raid with the Iraqi army to take bad guys off the street."
Even though Owens is trained to serve as a cannon crewmember, he is highly successful as a member of a maneuver fire team. He has earned the respect of his leaders and his peers.
"Owens is a tough Soldier!" said Cpl. Jorge Delgado, a native of Boynten Beach, Fla., who is Owens' team leader. "When dismounted, he carries the Squad Automatic Weapon, or M-249 SAW. It's quite a burden when you take into account the extra 400 rounds he carries for it, but he does it well, extremely well!"
"Pfc. Owens is a dependable Soldier who can get the job done," commented Sgt. Derrick Randle, who is from Gainesville, Fla. Randle is a non-commissioned officer in Owens' platoon.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2008 09:08 |
| Story ID: | 22584 |
| Location: | JOINT SECURITY STATION ZAFARANIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 145 |
| Downloads: | 113 |
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