By Spc. Grant T. Okubo
4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
BAGHDAD - Infantry Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad fired mortar tubes, April 11, to register their weapons at Joint Security Station Shawra Wa Um Jidir, in east Baghdad.
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment mortar crews fired 81 mm and 120 mm rounds into an open field to prepare their weapons for upcoming missions, explained Pfc. Joshua Kinsley, who is from Washington, Ill.
Sgt. Michael Homer, a Saint Maries, Idaho native, believes mortar Soldiers bring an important element to the fight.
"We are able to fire up and over (obstacles) and hit right in-between buildings," said Homer. "It's pretty accurate."
So far during their deployment in Iraq, the mortar platoon has been highly successful with firing mortars and conducting missions contributing to the overall fight.
"We've had some HE (high explosive) missions, and we've taken out rocket sites and mortar crews," said Kinsley. "They use us to disable enemy operations. We make them change their plans and make their job harder."
Kinsley said he absolutely loves his job, and he's not alone. "Even if I had to do it over again, this would be the job that I choose," added Spc. Edasa McCurdy, who is from Anderson, Ind.
One of the things 2nd Bn., 30th Inf.'s mortar platoon continues to focus on while deployed to Baghdad is maintaining their speed and accuracy. Those two elements are the keys to being successful in this job, explained Homer.