U.S ARMY DUGWAY PROVING GROUND, Utah - Between muzzle flash and impact, Soldiers of the Utah National Guard's 65th Field Artillery Brigade (FAB) had an unobstructed view of the 155mm projectiles they fired during annual training in May.
Conditions at Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) for training with their M109A6 "Paladin" self-propelled howitzers was nearly ideal: unusually heavy rains stifled the dust, cooled the desert days to a comfortable 75 degrees and eliminated brush fire hazards. 1st Lt. Jed Morris, executive officer of Charlie Battery -- and a captain with the DPG Fire Department -- said the unusually wet May didn't hinder the mission. "We shot a lot of rounds, especially the first day," Morris said. "We had a lot of rain and lightning."
At nearly 800,000 acres, much of it miles of flat rangeland between jutting mountain ranges, DPG was ideal for the 65th FAB's two-week Horse Blanket exercise. At DPG, Soldiers can witness impacts 10 miles and more away. At other firing ranges, rolling hills often prevent seeing the blast, smoke and dust, Lt. Morris noted.
Soldiers of the 145th and 222nd Field Artillery Regiments were supported by cooks, refuelers, mechanics, medics and others from the 213th and 214th Forward Support Companies (FSC) of the 65th FAB. During the two weeks only minor injuries were reported, typical of field exercises. The 213th and 214th FSC food handlers prepared breakfast and dinner at DPG's Bullene Barracks, then transported the hot chow 25 miles to firing sites.
During Horse Blanket, both companies earned high marks for food preparation and presentation, competing in the national Phillip A. Connelly Awards Program for Excellence in Army Food Service. Since 1968, the Army and the International Food Services Executive Association have sponsored the competition. Awards are not yet announced.
A highlight of Horse Blanket was the Boss Lift, when supervisors of some Soldiers were allowed to pull the lanyard inside the 28-ton M109A6 Paladin, sending its 6-inch diameter, 95-pound projectile with a satisfying blast. No grumpy bosses here: each grinned and was more appreciative of their employee's professionalism, expertise and dedication as National Guard Soldiers. The A6 designates an upgrade of the long-praised M109 self-propelled gun, adding GPS targeting capability and other technology that enhances accuracy and reduces human error. Accompanying each M109A6 is the M992 ammunition supply vehicle that keeps the Paladin firing.
Dugway Proving Ground abuts the U.S. Air Force's 1.7 million-acre Utah Test & Training Range (UTTR). Coordination with UTTR aircraft practicing on nearby ranges provided more authenticity. "We protect the force from air attack, and we coordinate the air space so they can fire," 2nd Lt. Melissa Stanquist, the 65th Brigade's Air Defense Artillery Officer, said. "It's a great experience (to train at DPG)."
Command Sgt. Maj. Gregg Ludlow of the 65th FAB praised using DPG for Horse Blanket. "It was an outstanding exercise," Ludlow said. "Dugway provides us a great opportunity, as a brigade headquarters, for command and control over two of our subordinate battalions. The large training area at Dugway allows us to spread out and exercise our ability to command and control, to verify that we can move, shoot and communicate."
Horse Blanket was the first field exercise for the brigade headquarters in three years, according to Col. Todd Thursby, commander of the 65th FAB. Thursby said training at DPG was the "crawl" phase of exercises planned over three years. In 2016, the unit plans to train at 78,000-acre Camp Guernsey in southeastern Wyoming for its "walk" phase. In 2017, it will "run" at the Yakima Training Center in south central Washington, within 327,000 acres of arid, sagebrush-covered hills.
If training in Wyoming or Washington are not possible, Thursby said the 65th FAB will return to DPG. Consistently, service members who train at DPG enthuse about its advantages: expanse, terrain and environment, being able to shoot to maximum range, good firing points -- and Dugway personnel eager to help. "(DPG) provides a lot of good training for every aspect that we're trying to get accomplished," Thursby said. "The facilities are great. The people we worked with are great. Col. Fizer (commander of DPG) understands training. We were just trying to do it in a good, safe manner."
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