Staff Sgt. Michael McGill, 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery pulls the firing pin on a 75mm M1897A4 cannon as the first person to ignite the antiquated field artillery piece in 98 years. McGill and his crew restored the cannon during their off time...

FORT SILL, Okla., July 7, 2016 -- It's been 98 years since this 75mm M1897A4 cannon belonging to 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery was last fired. The time that Lincoln logs had just been invented by John Lloyd Wright.

The cannon was gutted, plugged and left out in the elements near a motor pool here, before being restored to original factory condition and fired once again.

Staff Sgt. Michael McGill and his team spent just under a month tearing down, learning about the cannon, and reassembling it with all original parts. Primary team members worked on the cannon on their own time, dedicating two or more hours a day. They were Pvts. Dylan Comings, Jacob Block and Easton Hogue; and Pfc. Travis Chastainl.

McGill was formerly assigned to the ceremonial Fort Sill Artillery Half Section before transferring to 1-14th FA.

"I started off in the Half Section in 2003; I wasn't the best horse rider but I did very well with the cannons," said McGill, who was later assigned as the Half Section's gun corporal. "I started learning as much as I could about the cannons and the more I learned, the more interesting it became.

"I think it was Day 1, when I transferred to the 1-14th that Lieutenant Colonel Peter Sittenauer, (1-14th FA commander) asked me if I would get this thing firing again," he said. "I tinkered around with it for a few days and told him it didn't seem possible, but he insisted I try."

He began with a hammer and a screwdriver just to free up some of the parts and get them moving again. Various departments on post volunteered knowledge, work and parts to aid in the restoration. McGill and his team made copies of old manuals that were falling apart for the volunteers working on the cannon with him.

"Going from what it looked like when we started to this, I couldn't be more pleased," he said. "We had help from the paint shop on post, the Army Field Artillery Museum, the Soldiers of 1-14th, and even some help from outside with civilians donating parts and literature," McGill said.

"We wanted to get it ready for celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1-14th," said McGill.

The cannon fired at the beginning of the centennial and at events throughout the week of June 20.

"We want Soldiers who actually used these cannons to remember and be remembered during the 100th anniversary celebration. It's an important part of history, and we want to make sure that history is not forgotten," he said.

"It was a grueling task, and I asked each team member if they wanted to go home after work or stay and work on the cannon," said McGill. "They all stepped up to the plate and were eager to help with the project."

The 75mm M1897A4 was an adaption of the "French 75" cannon previously used by the Army. The M1897 line of cannons was used extensively during World War I and remained the main light field artillery piece throughout World War II. Some changes made during the inter-war decades included better ammunition, pneumatic tires and improved sites. With the exception of these modifications, it remained largely unchanged.