BAGHDAD — Three engineers from the 16th Engineer Brigade's Survey and Design Team recently had a unique opportunity to contribute their survey skills to the Iraqi Field Artillery School at Joint Security Station Constitution.
Typical missions for Army engineer surveyors result in the design and construction of buildings, bridges, roads and maps. However, this expertise can also be applied to artillery survey procedures, which ensures that field artillery weapon systems are emplaced with exact precision. This precision enables the accurate delivery of artillery firepower in an engagement.
Sgt. Andrew Rasfeld, Spc. Justin Rainier and Pfc. Gerald Smith worked with Lt. Col. Thomas Dye, the Iraqi artillery directorate senior advisor for the Iraqi artillery schools at JSS Constitution and Abu Ghuraib.
According to Dye, the Soldiers applied their technical expertise to Artillery survey procedures to establish five orienting stations, five end of line points and six declination stations, with three distant aiming points in areas throughout the Artillery School's acreage.
Dye explained that the ORSTA and EOL locations are used to accurately position an artillery battery, whereas declination stations are used to calibrate the tools used for positioning an artillery battery.
Dye noted that the work of the survey team will have lasting results for the Iraqi Field Artillery. The Iraqi army will be able to better train their Soldiers and more effectively position their Artillery weapons and accurately place rounds on target.
According to 1st Lt. Thomas Race, a civil engineer with the 16th Engineer Brigade's Survey and Design team, the Iraqi Army's need for surveyors was met through the work of Rasfeld, Rainier and Smith.
"We were asked to try to fill this specialty for the unit. The survey team stepped in to help set up the training lanes," said Race.
According to Dye, without the support of these three Soldiers, the Iraqi Field Artillery School would not have been able to deliver a quality training course necessary to teach the techniques of high caliber field artillery.