Artillery Thunder, Lightning Help Deter Insurgents

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ST. MICHEL, IRAQ

07.06.2004

Courtesy Story

1-230th Cavalry Regiment

Story by: Sgt. M Trent Lowry

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ST. MICHEL, Iraq -- Soldiers of B Battery, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Task Force 1st Armored Division, used thunder and lightning to try to flush out insurgents recently.

The mission in Mullafayad, a town about 20 miles south of Baghdad and the surrounding areas was to deter insurgents from attacking Iraqi communities and Coalition forces in the area. The cannoneers of 4-27 FA brought the thunder of their howitzers to bear on nearby rural areas, lighting the area with illumination rounds.

"We're doing our best to secure the routes into the city," said Capt. James M. Collins, B Battery commander. "We're getting a lot of intelligence and a lot of weapons out there, but it's hard to tell how many people are out there against us."

According to Collins, one way of trying to discover who may be setting up improvised explosive devices or firing mortars at Soldiers in the area is to catch the culprits when they are most active: at night. The battery uses two platoons for these night missions. One fires its M109 A6 Paladin 155 mm howitzers, the other conducts infantry missions. Working as a team, the Soldiers hunt or deter attackers who use IEDs, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars.

"This mission is as important, if not more so, than anything we did in Baghdad," said Collins, referring to the year TF 1AD Soldiers spent patrolling the streets of Iraq's capital city. "There were a few munitions factories in this area before, and when the war kicked off the factories were looted. That's why there are a lot of bombs to deal with here."

The battery's platoon of infantry set out on foot late at night to find a forward observation point to assess any enemy activity in the area. There was just a sliver of moon available for ambient lighting, so they were going to need help. Fortunately, luck wasn't needed and help was on the way.

The firing battery lit up the dark Iraqi night with illumination rounds that let the ground warriors see for miles during a time when night vision goggles are normally the only means of sight. The idea was to catch enemies in the act and to give other potential adversaries reason to think twice about performing any action against Iraqi civilians or the Soldiers in the area.

The firing battery lit up the dark Iraqi night with illumination rounds that let the ground warriors see for miles during a time when night vision goggles are normally the only means of sight. The idea was to catch enemies in the act and to give other potential adversaries reason to think twice about performing any action against Iraqi civilians or the Soldiers in the area.

"We were unable to observe any attempts last night," said Collins, after the mission. "But the awareness is out there that we can monitor them at any time. Hope-fully that will help deter their actions."

After sunrise, B Battery set out on foot again. This time they patrolled the streets of Mullafayad, which were vibrant with the activities of the local populace. Their goal was to meet with the people of the town to let them know that Soldiers were on the job to keep the sector secure.

"I feel we came over here to take out a regime and free people," said Spc. Kyle W. Shifflett, a fire support specialist with B Battery, 4-27 FA. "The benefit of these patrols is to win the confidence of the people and let them know we're trying to get the weapons off the street and improve their quality of life.

In addition to greeting the citizens, the Soldiers passed out flyers printed in English and Arabic letting the people know that there is a reward for information and the turnover of weapons. In all, the Soldiers of Bravo Battery said they believe the mission went well.

"We got a feeling of the city's response to the artillery and the presence of the patrol," Collins said. "All tasks laid out were accomplished and that defines it as a success."

• Date Taken: 07.06.2004
• Date Posted: 07.06.2004 13:21
• Story ID: 74
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE ST. MICHEL, IQ