Field artilleryman storm buildings, seize simulated targets

Photo By Spc. Joshua Morris | Sergeant 1st Class Aaron Sanford, a maintenance supervisor, Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment, gives commands to his platoon following their departure from a UH-60 Black Hawk near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 28, 2018. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Joshua P. Morris, USARCENT PAO)  

CAMP BUEHRING, KUWAIT

02.28.2018

Story by Spc. Joshua Morris 

U.S. Army Central   

Utah National Guard’s Delta Battery, 1st Battalion, 145th Field Artillery Regiment had an opportunity to get out from behind their cannons and prove themselves on other tasks during a complex training exercise near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Feb. 28, 2018.
After eight weeks of training in the field, Delta Battery executed Operation Diamond Strike, an exercise testing their combat skills in urban terrain. The objective of the operation was to infiltrate a simulated local populous and locate an informant who would subsequently give the whereabouts of a high value target.
Specialist Matthew Miyasaki, a cannon crewmember with Delta Battery, 1-145th FA, is just one of approximately 30 artillerymen who went through the training.
“We’re usually field artillerymen, so we’re used to being the guys supporting the guys doing this,” he said. “So actually getting in their boots and doing whatever they do gives us a better picture on both ends of the battlefield.”
After securing a landing zone for two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to land, the artillerymen were picked up and inserted into a location in close proximity to the village that they needed to infiltrate. Immediately the squads got to work on their objective.
Three squad leaders directed their teams in accordance to their element’s respective role of either assault, support, or security.
As they made haste towards the village, the battery prepared to fall back on every skill that they learned during the previous weeks of training. Not all of the training was combat-oriented.
“The hearts-and-minds aspect helps us out because it limits the amount of hostiles that we would engage with and the amount of negative reception that we would have on the United States Army moving into an operation,” said Miyasaki. “So giving a good American presence within whatever our area of operation is would give us a smoother and more precise way of pinpointing where we could target the enemy.”
Keeping this training in mind, the artillerymen proceeded with caution upon entering the village. After making contact, however, the squads received enemy fire. Within moments, everything learned during the weeks prior was called into action.
Smoke and chemical gas dispersed, suppressive fire was deployed, masks were dawned, and finally an informant was detained. Quickly after, the high-value targets were captured and the operation was completed.
Captain Kyle Rawlinson, 1-145th FA’s executive officer, was there to watch his troops maneuver through the urban terrain.
“This is everything that we’d be doing in our combat role,” Rawlinson said. “The main thing that we are trying to get is sustainment training on their [crew served machine guns and other] weapons.”
Not only is training like this effective for the Soldiers to have internally, but Rawlinson believes that this training will help with joint operations.
“The training value of an event like this is a combined arms when we are working with other units,” he said. “What I hope third platoon learned out of this training event is [urban terrain] tactics and also small-unit tactics, moving as a unit, working at both squads and platoon levels.”
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• Date Taken: 02.28.2018
• Date Posted: 03.06.2018 02:09
• Story ID: 268205
• Location: CAMP BUEHRING, KW
• Hometown: AMERICAN FORK, UT, US
• Hometown: SALT LAKE CITY, UT, US