Knee Deep in the Hooah!

I found a very interesting piece from the US Central Command site regarding the “King of Battle.” Now, anyone who reads the blog of a proud Infantry mom (ahem) already knows that the Infantry is called the “Queen of Battle.” Field Artillery is her royal mate, and it just so happens that Mr. Hooah! was branched Field Artillery before the fateful day that landed him in the operating room.

I have to admit when I first heard that we had been branched Field Artillery, I was less than thrilled. I just knew we would wind up on a base where you wake up to the sounds of mortar fire in the morning, roosters be damned. Well, we had not made it that far yet — and who knows where the reserves will ever land us, but for now I am a far distance from any mortar fire and I am A-OK with that.

The one aspect of this “King of Battle” we had just been branched into was the fact that Mike was already branched Infantry, and so with the new orders in hand we had a Royal Flush! The Queen takes her place, she rushes in and calls upon the King to back her up with long range fire. Wow, Gibson couldn’t hope to write a better scenario.

The old days of field artillery may not be totally gone, but conventional warfare and urban fighting has certainly left the King with some new moves. He’s not able to provide back up the same way as in wars of old, but according to the article, The King of Battle is not lost either.

(excerpt) MOSUL — The urban terrain of Operation Iraqi Freedom limits the use of large cannons and field artillery units.

The days of all out destruction and artillery raining down from the skies seem to be over. But there are still uses for these Soldiers and instances in which destruction with precision accuracy is vital to the U.S. Army’s mission success.

The Redleg Soldiers of Howitzer Battery, 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment are one of the few field artillery units executing their area of expertise in Iraq today.

I am afraid that with the enemy we fight today, the days of “artillery raining down from the skies” is truly over. We are not in war with men who take the fighting away from the innocent, but our enemy today hides among them.

Today, the U.S. Army’s M109A6 Paladin self-propelled 155mm howitzer is a tracked vehicle that can reach out and touch a target accurately from 30 km away.

Howitzer Battery uses several strategically placed Paladins located at Badoush Prison located just outside the northern Ninewa province city of Mosul, to support ground troop movement in the area. They conduct an average of three fire missions a night from the combat outpost there, mostly illumination rounds.

“Our role is to support troops in contact with indirect fire, whether it be with 155mm high explosive rounds, Excalibur (guided munitions) or illumination rounds,” said Howitzer Battery Fire Directions Chief, Staff Sgt. Gustavo Martinez.

“We can use guided munitions to support any task or mission and pinpoint areas or buildings,” Martinez continued. “We use illumination rounds to light up an area at night to limit or reveal enemy movement.”

An M109A6 Paladin fires illumination rounds to expose enemy movement March 29 near Mosul, Iraq. (Photo by Spc. John Crosby)

The article goes on to illustrate the incredible flexibility of our Army. I knew that Stryker Brigades are attached with Cavalry Regiments, but I did not know that Field Artillery was following suit. When we were first branched and I talked with a handful of Field Artillery folks, I was under the impression that Field Artillery was less than active (and maybe filling position on the FOB instead of engaging in combat or providing backup to Infantry.) Well the King and Queen are still a Royal Duet:

“We get a lot of training done, more than we did back in Fort Hood,” said Chief of Section, Staff Sgt. Freddy Perdue of Howitzer Battery. “You gotta do something while we’re all in there together for 24 hours straight. But we enjoy our jobs helping the people out there, especially the maneuver forces.”

Perdue said he enjoys doing what he was trained to do. While many Redlegs are taking on the role of a foot soldier in Iraq today, Perdue and Howitzer Battery are carrying on the Redleg legacy.

“Being in the war we are fighting now we can adapt to anything,” said Martinez. “A lot of the guys in our battery are doing infantry tactics and things of that nature. As far as the field artillery guys that are actually doing the field artillery mission, it’s important. You never know. There could be a patrol out there that comes into direct contact with a large group of insurgents and we are here to help by providing indirect fire in a matter of minutes.” FULL ARTICLE

That’s impressive, and as the mom of an Infantryman, it’s always nice to know that the Infantry’s back is watched from many directions.

Tags: Army, Army Mom Posts, Army Wife Posts, combat, deployment, military, war on terror //