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6-37 Field Artillery puts their training to the test

By photos by Pvt. Kim Han-byeol, 210th Fires Brigade Public Affairs Specialist.October 24, 2012

6-37 Field Artillery puts their training to the test
Army Spc. George W. Kuhn, a multiple launch rocket system operations/fires direction specialist, a native of Westfrankfurt, Ill., computes information into the computer during section certification training on Camp Casey in Dongducheon, South Korea O... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

"I've just arrived here in Korea a few weeks ago; this the first time I have been a part of this type of training with my current unit," said Sgt. Henry Youren, of Boise, Idaho, a multiple launch rocket system operations/fire direction specialist with the battalion. "But I think this is good training for Soldiers to become familiar with the equipment."

According to Battalion Fire Direction Chief Sgt. 1st Class Germanic Pope, a native of Norfolk, Va., this fire direction control section certification ensures Soldiers are proficient in passing targeting information to rocket launchers.

Pope is the senior multiple launch rocket system operations/fire direction specialist in the battalion's Headquarters and Headquarters Battery. He ensures all Soldiers are trained to standard and certified before going to the field to conduct live fire missions.

The 40 Soldiers are tested using hands-on and written methods, Pope said. Each section is required to complete this training 30 days prior to going to the field.

"If the Soldiers are actually training prior to coming out here, then this certification will not be difficult for them," said Pope. "We have a lot of new Soldiers in the battalion and a lot of the teams have not worked together before, so there have been a few minor mistakes."

For Pfc. Jung Koo-cheol, a native of Gyeonggi-do Guri, South Korea, also a multiple launch rocket system operations/fire direction specialist, the hardest part of the training is the language barrier.

"My team does a very good job with the translation from English to Korean," said Jung, a Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army soldier. "I have been with my team for four months and I feel this training is very beneficial for us to conduct our mission."

One team conducting the training really enjoys the opportunity to showcase their skills.

"We look forward to the training because it allows us to show what we have been training on when given the opportunity to conduct sergeant's time training," said Pfc. Dametrice Scales, a native of Greenwood, Miss., also a multiple launch rocket system operations/fire direction specialist with Battery C.

"And with this certification, we are able to fight tonight if necessary," Scales finished.

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