FORT DRUM, N.Y. — “Seconds mattered,” one fire control specialist said about the drone attacks that 2nd Brigade Combat Team Soldiers encountered during their deployment in support of Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.
Sgt. William Taroc, Staff Sgt. Henry Davis, and Staff Sgt. Daniel Smith, all with 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd BCT, 10th Mountain Division (LI), made those seconds count when their combined efforts destroyed 28 incoming unmanned aircraft systems within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
While these field artillery Soldiers are used to firing ground targets, their training in air defense at Fort Drum and while deployed in Kuwait enabled them to contribute to the counter-drone fight now being employed by forces on multiple battlefields.
“At first I didn’t know what I was doing during training, because it was a lot to take on all at once,” Taroc said. “But it got better after a couple of days constantly working at it. And the leadership here instilled the confidence in us to understand the training, take it forward, and prepare for what actually was going to happen.”
Taroc shot down 13 enemy drones, earning him “Ace” status along with his two teammates.
“Essentially, the training itself gives you all the tools you need to defeat the enemy,” he said.
Davis might have destroyed countless drones during simulated combat in the training environment but shooting down eight overseas felt overwhelmingly different.
“We knew the consequences of our actions if we did or didn’t do it well,” he said. “There’s a lot of importance behind actually performing under stress.”
As a fire support noncommissioned officer, Smith is the person who calls out the targets for others to shoot down. Now he has eight confirmed kills on enemy drones of his own.
“I’m just happy that everyone who went out to base with me came back,” he said. “We all knew we were going to a hazardous environment. I wouldn’t exactly say it was difficult, but there is a learning curve.”
Smith said he never expected to be recognized for simply doing his job and being seen as an “Ace” has been humbling. But what was most important for him, upon returning home in April after nine months away, was seeing his wife and child.
“I’m happy that my family is proud of me, and I’m just happy to be back home.”
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