FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- What's the sound of artillery? Boom! Boom! Soldiers of Charlie Battery (Cherokee), 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, fired their first fire missions as a newly formed battery with their new M777A2 howitzers Nov. 22 in a Fort Drum training area.
Bravo Battery, 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, was officially inactivated in September. The Soldiers were transferred to 2-15 FA, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, in October. This was accompanied by a restructure of 2-15 FA, adding another battery, Charlie.
Despite a few weeks of tight timelines and numerous additional duties, Soldiers of Charlie Battery successfully and accurately fired more than 50 safe rounds. This was the culminating event of a battery-wide certification class that lasted nearly a month.
The M777A2 howitzer is the U.S. Army's premier artillery piece. It can accurately fire a standard 155 mm round, weighing approximately 100 pounds, almost 15 miles. However, the howitzer cannot fire itself. It takes a highly trained and capable team to fire this piece of military equipment.
"For a proficient crew to be able to successfully fire the howitzer, it takes an in-depth certification process including section certification, ASPT (Artillery Skills Proficiency Test), gunner's test, and tables 1-6 certification," said Staff Sgt. Daniel Neep, platoon sergeant for 2nd Platoon. "All Soldiers must be able to qualify individually, as well as part of a team, on each given task."
"Timely and accurate fires in support of maneuvering ground troops begin at the section level on the firing line," added 1st Lt. Jason Buselli, platoon leader for 2nd Platoon. "Highly efficient gun crews enable these fire support assets to provide the most coverage possible at a moment's notice."
Because the vast majority of Soldiers making up Charlie Battery were transferred from the inactivation of 3rd BCT, a large portion of the unit is made up of very recent combat veterans, most having returned this past summer from Afghanistan.
While deployed, these Soldiers employed artillery fires on enemy positions throughout Afghanistan, making them the most combat-experienced artillery unit in the brigade.
"Despite the Soldiers returning from Afghanistan less than 90 days prior, they were able to accomplish the training effectively and achieve timely and accurate fires," said 1st Sgt. Richard Hernandez, C Battery senior enlisted adviser. "Their hard work, dedication and resiliency demonstrated that Charlie Battery is the elite firing unit of the 10th Mountain Division."
All of the highly trained and extremely proficient artillerymen came together as a team to fire 54 155 mm artillery rounds safely and accurately -- their first rounds as Charlie Battery. The timely and accurate fires that they demonstrated were well above exceptional and will most certainly be a combat multiplier for whatever mission awaits them next.
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