FORT SILL, Okla. -- Even Mother Nature seemed to want to join the 100th Anniversary of the Field Artillery celebration as thunder, the heavenly kind and not that shot from howitzers, rumbled in the distance May 19.
But, it was talk of the thunder that comes out of the end of a metal tube, raining firepower on an enemy, that dominated the ceremony in front of a small white building on the southeast corner of Fort Sill's Old Post Quadrangle.
The little white, three-room building, the original school of fires, opened in 1911 and ushered in a new era for Fort Sill in the early part of the 20th century.
"We gather today to celebrate our history at this great institution, but also to link the past with the future," said Brig. Gen. Thomas Vandal, Field Artillery School commandant.
As Vandal spoke, he looked out into an audience that was a veritable who's who of former and current field artillery leaders, from Baxter to Stricklin to Formica and Halverson.
Vandal said field artillery has helped shape the Army and this nation since its inception. He said Fort Sill has been the driving force in changes in artillery equipment and tactics.
Because of the poor performance of the field artillery in the Spanish-American War and the emergence of modern field artillery in other nations, the War Department sent Capt. Dan T. Moore to Europe to research various artillery schools in 1908.
Upon his return, Moore impressed the War Department with what he had learned from the Europeans, especially the Germans, and was named the first commandant of the School of Fire for Field Artillery.
During the ceremony last week, Vandal; Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Willey, Field Artillery School CSM; Maj. Gen. David Halverson, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general; and Command Sgt. Maj. Dwight Morrisey, FCoE and Fort Sill CSM, unveiled a plaque dedicating the original schoolhouse to Moore as "The Father of Field Artillery." The plaque will be hung permanently in Moore's office inside the three-room structure.
"Dan T. Moore was a special person," said Halverson. "He met many large challenges when our country was in transition and he didn't back down, he worked from his humble beginnings and built this thing which has grown into the King of Battle."
The guest speaker for the celebrations was Gen. Raymond Odierno, commander of Joint Forces Command, and a field artillery officer. Odierno said his earliest memories of Fort Sill were as a young captain in the summer of 1980 when he and his classmates had T-shirts printed that read, "We survived 100 days of 100 degrees."
He said he is proud of his field artillery heritage and how it exposed him "to a variety of experiences that provided a foundation of skills and opportunities that allowed me to develop, not only as a person, but as a professional."
As he addressed the audience of about 300 people, Odierno said he expects the field artilleryman to lead the way in developing innovative solutions for the future joint force.
"Our Soldiers are being asked to do more beyond their core competency," Odierno said. "Artillery formations have adapted and delivered, whether as counter-fires units, infantry in other units, transportation companies or leading the way in conducting civil military operations, artillery units continue to answer the call as an integral part of our combined force."
He said warfare has changed and the field artillery must change with it. But, Soldiers must be mindful of the past to appreciate the future. Odierno said the operations tempo will not slow down and neither will the responsibility placed on field artillery Soldiers like those currently in classes at Fort Sill's Field Artillery School.
"To succeed in an often chaotic and decentralized combat environment, we will demand more of our junior officers, noncommissioned officers and Soldiers at the tip of the spear," he said. "As we move into the second century of field artillery, the path ahead will become increasingly difficult, but increasingly vital."
Odierno said he was excited to take part in the celebration and watched as the Moore plaque was unveiled and then Walter Zaremba, a graduate of the 1961 Officer Candidate School class, uncovered a 50th anniversary monument. That was followed by the culmination of the ceremony when 2nd Lt. Eric Null, Basic Officer Leadership Course and youngest field artillery officer in the Army, revealed the 100th Anniversary plaque.
Vandal joked that he expects Null back to unveil the 150th anniversary plaque.
The school commandant said over the last 100 years the Field Artillery School has transferred from the little white, three-room school serving as the backdrop for the ceremony into a world re-known fire support and joint fire institution. The school has produced more than 800,000 Soldiers with a legacy that includes President Harry S. Truman, former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff Gen. John Shalikashvili, Gen. Tommy Franks, Gen. Dennis Reimer and Odierno.
At the end of the celebration, to continue the theme of remembering the past to move toward the future, Odierno used a model 1897, French 75mm cannon to fire one round signaling the start of the next 100 years of the field artillery.
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