Back to the big guns

[unhappycamper]

A chance to use their howitzers
Brigade likely to use its new M777s in Afghanistan


Back to the big guns
By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Sep 29, 2008 20:25:40 EDT

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — For the field artillerymen of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, the deployment switch from a year in Iraq to a year in Afghanistan has a silver lining.

In Afghanistan, they’ll be doing the job the Army hired them to do: manning the big guns.

The requirement to shoot howitzers in Iraq has been minimal because operations most often are conducted in crowded urban environments.

Instead, field artillerymen have been called upon to perform a wide variety of alternate missions such as infantry maneuvers, truck driving, convoy support, radar operation and “whatever we’ve been needed to do, we’ve done,” said Lt. Col. Paul Gabel, commander of 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery.

“This is exciting because we’re a fires battalion in support of a brigade combat team with a system that’s organic to it,” Gabel told Army Times on Monday.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/army_caseydrum_092908w/%2e