FORT BLISS, Texas (Jan. 9, 2014) -- "Why risk everything for a cannon?" Col. Henry A. Knox, chief of artillery, Continental Army, asked his sergeant when he drug back a broken cannon across the Delaware River after the Battle of Trenton in 1777.
"We wanted the victory to be complete," replied the sergeant.
The U.S. Army Field Artillery branch awarded Battery B, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division Artillery, the 2014 Henry A. Knox streamer for best active Army field artillery battery, at Wilson Field, Fort Bliss, Texas, Jan. 6, 2015.
Established in 1924 and named after the first U.S. Army artillery chief and first U.S. secretary of war, the award recognizes the best artillery battery based on performance, excellence, leadership and proficiency. It recognizes the most complete artillery battery in the Army.
"During the last decade of war, there hasn't been a need for a pure artilleryman; we've been infantryman, we've been truck runners, we've been adaptable, we've been agile, but now we have to think how are we going to fix our branch, how are we going to provide support to our maneuver elements," said Command Sgt. Maj. Dan Moriarty, sergeant major of the Field Artillery.
According to the Field Artillery Branch, Battery B, 4th Battalion, 27th FA and units like it are the fix. Operationally, the unit spent the year fielding both M109A6 Paladins and M777A2 howitzers, tested out new weapons systems during Network Integration Evaluation, including the XM1156 Precision Guidance Kit rounds, conducted air assaults, integrated with Italian and German forward observers, and won battalion top gun.
The unit also integrated the division's first female artillery officer, worked with local schools in the community and excelled at Soldier and non-commissioned officer of the quarter leadership boards.
When Sgt. Daniel Davis, a cannon crew member, Battery B, 4th Battalion, 27th FA, and his fellow soldiers learned about their nomination, they knew they couldn't rest on their accomplishments, they had to drill down.
"We took it one step at a time, when we first heard we were nominated for the Knox award, we knew we had to individually improve our physical training, our weapons qualifications, we had to step it up, bring our "A" game," said Davis.
But they couldn't just rely on themselves to rise to the top. They had to rely on each other.
"Got to have faith," said Davis. "I know that if a task or a mission comes down for field artillery, I know I can trust all the platoon sergeants, gunnery sergeants, chiefs and Soldiers to accomplish the mission, being as trained and skilled as they are. "
For Moriarty, Battery B, faith in each other and accomplishments lived up to the standards Col. Henry A. Knox set during the Revolutionary War.
"To have a streamer on there that says the best battery in the Army for 2014 that's phenomenal," said Moriarty.
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