BAUMHOLDER, Germany – Four pieces of equipment, with a combined weight of 326.9 pounds, were assembled into a fully functional 120 mm mortar by the bare hands of four soldiers. They stood with their mortar on a field of grass that had been overridden with thick mud. Before them was a collection of hills. In the distance they could see smoke trailing away, the only remaining sign of a mortar shell they had previously fired.
Adjustments were made. The four mortarmen stood fast, ready and awaiting orders. The phrase “fire for effect!” was repeated by the soldiers by loud shouts through strained vocal chords. The mortarmen acted quickly, coming together as one element to fire off a series of rounds.
Thick smoke poured out of the cannon barrel in between each round. The shells flew into the sky with a burst of flame and pounded the ground devastating their target.
Afterward, the soldiers looked out to the target area. In the distance more smoke could be seen trailing away.
Mortarmen with Mortar Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team conducted a live fire exercise as part of the mortar gunner’s exam here Sept. 15.
“With the upcoming Afghanistan deployment and with what mortars have to offer to the battlefield tactically, our guys have to be sharp on it,” said 1st Lt. Bradley D. Brown, a Columbia, Mo., native, now the platoon leader for Mortar Platoon.
The mortarmen became proficient in multiple job positions during the mortar gunner’s exam. Since each soldier can perform a variety of tasks, the mortar teams have the ability to change the lineup as needed, said Spc. Patrick T. Davis, an Oswego, N.Y., native, now an ammo bearer with Gun Team II, Mortar Platoon.
“You never know what situation you’re going to be in,” said Sgt. Kevin D. Parks, a Harrodsburg, Ky., native, now a squad leader with Gun Team II, Mortar Platoon. “If somebody gets sick or goes down, another person in your crew can jump in and do that job.”
“That’s why we cross train,” said Parks. “Another person may need to fill someone else’s job, and this way they’re already trained up and ready to go.”
One of the most notable takeaways from the training was the importance of teamwork when operating a mortar, said Sgt. Daniel Lindsey, an Avilene, Texas, native, now a squad leader for Gun Team I, Mortar Platoon.
“You can be an expert gunner, but if you take a crew that has no teamwork, you can only go so far,” said Lindsey.
The gunner that’s qualifying needs his ammo bearer, assistant gunner, and squad leader to be top-notch in order to get rounds downrange quickly and effectively, said Lindsey.
“If he has a bad crew and they’re not working together, he’ll get a poor score,” said Lindsey. “It’s definitely a team effort.”
Training in different jobs with live rounds allowed the Soldiers in each gun team to build trust and confidence in their teammates, said Pfc. Sean D. Bostick, a Tracy, Calif., native, now an assistant gunner for Gun Team II, Mortar Platoon.
“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Bostick. “I feel like I’m going with people that know what they’re doing.”
| Date Taken: | 09.17.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.17.2010 07:56 |
| Story ID: | 56464 |
| Location: | BAUMHOLDER, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 289 |
| Downloads: | 4 |
This work, The Infantrymen of 4-70th, by SPC Nathan Goodall, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
