Dragons defend with fire and steel

CAMP TAJI, Iraq- The phone rings in the Base Defense Operations Center here, Aug. 23. For a moment, while a fire direction specialist from 1st Battalion "Dragons," 82nd Field Artillery Regiment answers the call, silence engulfs the room. As soon as the Soldier hangs up, controlled chaos ensues.

A grid coordinate is yelled and echoed. The type of ammunition is yelled and echoed. The type of charge is yelled and echoed.

"Let's go! What's taking so long'" screamed Sgt. Brett Snauffer, a fire direction chief from Williamsport, Pa., attached to Battery B, 1st Bn., 82nd FAR, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, as his team communicate back and forth using data displayed on their computer monitors.

"This is our crystal ball, if you will," said Snauffer, pointing to the computerized map with lines and data points plotted on it.

"When we get a target, we get worked up...we get motivated and upbeat," added Spc. Chris Harris, a section chief from Aurora, Colo., also attached to Btry. B. "We love it. It's our job, it's what we do."

Snauffer agreed.

"They're not going to call us for artillery if they don't think we can do our jobs...We're the brains of the field artillery."

Within 60 seconds, the team checks and rechecks its data on classified computers. According to Snauffer, the rotation of the Earth, the rifling of the gun barrel, the weather - headwinds or tailwinds, all factor into the complex equation used in a single fire mission supporting the Soldiers on the ground.

Whether it's a high explosive round to destroy a target or an illumination round to light up the sky for Soldiers, the Dragons are ready to help.

"The troops might need to see something, an improvised explosive device, or light something up; I've shot illumination rounds for troops in contact," said Harris. "Aerial denial missions let [insurgents] know that we can still put rounds out there."

"Without us, there's no shooting rounds," explained Snauffer about the importance of his crew. "If this section here isn't right and tight, then nothing's going down range."

The crew uses their experience and know-how to quickly get the request processed, realizing that precision is just as important as timing.

"Safety is very, very important here. It's very important to get it right the first time because if we get it wrong, people could die," said Harris, who's on his second tour in the BDOC, about the meticulous nature involved. "It also gives purpose to my job knowing that I'm supporting the guys downrange...last tour we actually saved some lives."

"A colonel came in last time at the end of his tour and said, 'You'll never know how many lives you saved.' And it's true. Anytime we can do something for these guys, it's a big high. It's what we're here for," continued Snauffer. "The guys on the ground call the brigade, they call us and then we send it down to the guys on the gun."

Meanwhile, down on the gun line at Firebase Mayhem, on Camp Taji, an intercom comes alive.

"Beep...Beep...Beep," and the Soldiers, relaxing in the bunker next to the Paladin M109A2, stop in midsentence and sprint to the gun. Like a puzzle, the Soldiers fall into place inside the machine and listen for commands relayed from the BDOC down to the Paladin section chief.

Sgt. Jeremy Wilder, a section chief from Attalla, Ala., assigned to Btry. B, 1st Bn., 82nd FAR, shouts commands as his team reacts smoothly by picking out the right charge and ammunition.

"I take all the commands from the Fire Direction Center and my guys take all their commands from me," explained Wilder. "Timing is very important. The faster we get rounds downrange, the faster we eliminate the enemy."

Wilder and his crew know the importance of reacting swiftly and diligently in a combat environment.

"If an IED goes off, all you gotta do is call us for fire and we'll light the sky like its daylight," added Wilder about most of the illumination missions his team receives.

The artillerymen in this battery identify with what's happening on the ground, because for the first six months of their tour these Soldiers patrolled the streets of eastern Baghdad like infantry Soldiers.

"We've been in that position on the ground. We've done those patrols," said Pfc. Justin Torres, a cannon crewmember from Naples, Fla., assigned to Btry. B. "It's very important to be on the same page as those guys - there's no room for error...We're basically shooting 100-pound bombs downrange."

These artillerymen may not see the Soldiers on the ground they're helping, but that doesn't mean that they're not connected to them.

"There is a connection. The Army is a team as a whole and everybody is willing to help each other out," added Torres. "I know it's not fun out there in the streets, so it's rewarding for me to be able to provide an asset to these guys on the streets that they can count on."

Torres continued, "Trust is everything...as far as the team goes, we all trust one another that we're doing our part and all the responsibilities are being fulfilled."

Working seamlessly together, in a matter of minutes the crew is loaded and tense with anticipation. No one says a word while they wait for the section chief to give the command to fire.

"We're always here and we're always ready," said Wilder. "There's always a crew on these guns ready to fire at all times."

The intercom squawks the command to fire, but everybody waits for Wilder to give the final OK.

"I'm ready to go," said Torres about the moment before firing. "I know there's no slack in that lanyard...There's some butterflies, but when I pull that lanyard, it's like I just won the big game!"

After a cursory final inspection that all the details are correct, Wilder screams, "Fire!"

As flame erupts from the Paladin's barrel, the ground shakes and the blast concussion knocks dirt up into the air. Before the dust has time to settle, the team is reloading and ready to fire again.