1-10 Breaks Out The Big Guns

An M109 Paladin Howitzer belonging to 1-10 FA fires during a mission at FOB Hammer.

SGT. NATALIE ROSTEK
3RD HBCT, 3RD INF. DIV. PAO
FOB HAMMER — The Soldiers say their job is fairly simple. The effects, however, will leave a lasting impression on everything in their path.

The platoon-sized element from 1st Battalion, 10th Field Artillery working on FOB Hammer is responsible for three main tasks, said Staff Sgt. Michael Clark of Greenville, N.C., an artilleryman for 1-10 FA. The unit’s duties include conducting counter-fi re missions, terrain denial missions and fire for effect missions.

“We kill bad guys,” said Sgt. Ralph Harrison, of Columbus, Ga. “We conduct counter-fire operations which are,when we get mortared; we shoot back at the point of origin.”

Sgt. Christopher Shores, of Winston-Salem, N.C., an artilleryman for 1-10 FA, said terrain denial missions consist of firing on an area to deter insurgents from conducting enemy activity in that location.

“Fire for effect missions,” he said,“are missions where we are aiming at one specific target and we hit that target and destroy it.” Harrison said his unit is responsible for destroying boats found along the Tigris River.

The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team suspects these boats are used to transport weapons and munitions into Baghdad. The residents told Coalition Forces they do not use the river.

To effectively complete a mission,Soldiers must take the proper steps in a short period of time. On any operation where a 155 mm round is fired from the M109 Paladin Howitzer, the air and ground must be cleared of any friendly forces and unintended targets, Harrison said. When the area is cleared a call is made to the line crew on FOB Hammer.

When the Paladin crew receives the mission, they assume their positions. Information that the team needs for an accurate shot pops up on a screen inside the Paladin. The crew loads a 155 mm round into the tube, the gunner puts powder in to expel the round and verifies the data. The chief reads the data and sets the gun on the target.

“The chief overlooks everything in the operation on the ground,” said Clark, a crew chief. “If anything goes wrong, it all comes back to me.”

Each crew spends anywhere from 12 to 24 hours on the line. They are always on their toes, prepared for any mission from the 3rd HBCT headquarters. The job requires each crew to be stationary, but the product of their efforts can be seen through the camera of a patrolling unmanned aerial vehicle.

Shores said he prefers that the crew stays on FOB Hammer to get their job done. “The best part about our job is we can destroy a target without actually
having to be there,” he said.

Sometimes the unit is overlooked because they are such a small element,but Clark said 1-10 FA is wanted and needed in 3rd HBCT.

“They see us hit the target from the UAV, they hear the boom,” he said. “I think they are happy to have us around.