Field Artillery Troops Test Fire Howitzers on Camp Taji

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Rachel Copeland | Staff Sgt. Amin Henriquez, a canonneer and a native of Queens, N.Y., takes a call telling him to ready the Howitzer on his M109A6 Paladin for firing Dec.7 at a range on Camp Taji, Iraq. The Howitzers are just one of many weapons Soliders use to engage enemy insurgents who may try to attack the camp with mortar fire.  

TAJI, IRAQ

12.07.2006

Courtesy Story

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

By Sgt. Jon Cupp
1st Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Many Soldiers in the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment will be performing force protection operations here, working with other battalions and units to keep gates and the perimeter secure—protecting those who work and live on Taji.

However, more in line with their traditional artillery roles, the 1st Bn., 82nd Field Artillery Regt. will also be providing the added protection of the firepower of Howitzers on their M109A6 Paladins.

In preparation for that role, and for the first time during Operation Iraqi Freedom Rotation 06-08, Soldiers from Battery A, 1st Bn., 82nd Field Artillery Regt. fired two of their Howitzers at a range here Dec. 7 to calibrate the artillery pieces—pinpointing and testing their accuracy.

"The guys are really motivated to do this," said 1st Sgt. Robert Spinks, first sergeant for Battery A, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and a native of Hazlehurst, Miss. "This is going to test their ability to shoot live rounds when we get attacks from outside the forward operations base."

"We want our Soldiers to remember that they're in the combat zone and that the enemy is out there, and we want to give them the confidence that they can do short range as well as long range missions, knowing that they can defeat the enemy," added Spinks.

If insurgents were to fire mortars or rockets at the camp, his Soldiers are ready to engage, Spinks said.

After a mortar round has been fired, Soldiers in an operation center using high tech surveillance equipment can find the enemy firers, and the Howitzers can go into action.

When crews of the Howitzers are notified and the orders to engage have been passed down, the big guns are fired.

"They can send us the mission, and we'll send rounds down range," said Sgt. 1st Class Edgardo Sanchez, a platoon sergeant with the battery and a native of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. "We feel really comfortable about our crews, they've rehearsed for this, they know the scenario and they are ready."

For the past few months, as artillerymen within the battalion have been adapting to unique roles working in positions normally reserved for infantrymen, Sanchez said the crews of the Howitzers feel privileged to be doing their traditional artillery roles.

"We've been well-trained in doing other missions, such as doing dismounts in a humvee, but we can adapt to any situation," said Sanchez, explaining that some field artillery Soldiers have been training to do patrols as well as pulling security on convoys.

"But, there's nothing like getting to do your actual field artillery job," he added. "We're pretty excited about this. Our guys had the opportunity to train for this during their time at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La., but being in an actual combat zone has been a great experience for them."

North Tonawanda, N.Y., native, Spc. Timothy Hart, a Paladin driver, said he really looked forward to firing the Howitzers.

"I'm definitely glad to be here shooting," he said. "Actually getting to fire and do the jobs we've been trained to do in Iraq is the best. It's a great job to do, and there's nothing else I'd rather be doing."

• Date Taken: 12.07.2006
• Date Posted: 12.11.2006 11:35
• Story ID: 8524
• Location: TAJI, IQ