1-94 now the last multiple-rocket launchers in Europe
Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment simultaneously fired 17 Multiple Launch Rocket Systems at Grafenwöhr, Germany, on Thursday. (Seth Robson / S&S)
By Seth Robson - Stars and Stripes European edition
Friday, March 17, 2006
GRAFENWÖHR, Germany — Inactivation and transformation of two Multiple Launch Rocket System battalions will leave the 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment as the last MLRS unit in Europe.
By July, 1st Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment will inactivate, while 1st Battalion, 33rd Field Artillery Regiment will trade its MLRS for 105 mm artillery pieces and join the 173rd Airborne Brigade at Vicenza, Italy, according to Lt. Col. Patrick Hogan, the 1-94 commander.
The Baumholder-based 1-94 will eventually swap its tracked MLRS’s for wheeled high-mobility artillery rocket systems in order to support the 2nd Cavalry (Stryker) Brigade, which is scheduled to arrive at Vilseck this summer, he said.
Being the only MLRS unit left in Europe has its advantages. The 1st Armored Division unit was allocated more than 300 rockets, enough for all three battalions, for a gunnery session at Grafenwöhr this week, Hogan said.
With so many rockets, the battalion was able to do something it had not done since it was formed in 2000 — fire all 18 of its MLRS’s at the same time.
When the rockets fired from 17 of the launchers on Thursday (one was down with a technical glitch), it was like the Fourth of July in broad daylight as glowing rockets sent clouds of smoke trails across a snow-covered landscape.
The rockets, which have an unclassified range of more than 20 miles, disperse hundreds of bomblets over a wide area to destroy targets such as infantry, command posts and logistics sites, Hogan said.
Battery A unit commander Staff Sgt. Reuben Newton, 25, of Decatur, Ala., said it was a big challenge to get all of the MLRS’s firing together.
“There are a lot of safety checks to go through,” he said, standing in front of his MLRS, which he calls “Alabama.”
Alabama’s driver, Spc. Jose Salazar, 24, of Espanola, N.M., said it was tough moving the MLRS about in the snow at Grafenwöhr. The soldiers estimated 18 inches of snow fell while 1-94 was on the range.
Gunner, Spc. Thomas Morris, 23, of Abingdon, Md., who wants to call Alabama “Anger Management,” said he preferred shooting rockets to taking on an infantry role, which is what the unit did when it deployed to Baghdad, from November 2003 to July 2004.
“We did raids, cordon and searches, IED (improvised explosive device) sweeps and route patrols. Everything except our real job. We brought the MLRS units with us but sent them back early. I’d rather shoot rockets. It’s an adrenaline rush,” he said.
Marines fired up about indoor shooting range in Iraq
Pfc. Tim Yoder, a 21-year-old from Shipshewana, Ind., assigned to Weapons Platoon, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, adjusts his battle sight zero after examining his three-shot group at the indoor range at Camp Smitty, Iraq, March 14. (Photo by: Cpl. Mark Sixbey)
Story by Cpl. Mark Sixbey
CAMP SMITTY, Iraq (March 15, 2006) -- The sound of gunfire rips through a long building, bouncing off walls and resonates throughout the entire Marine base near Ferris Town. No one even raises an eyebrow.
The sound has repeated itself hundreds of times each day since February, when I Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, converted one of the base’s many large buildings into an indoor shooting range, giving the company a unique training tool.
“Gunfighting is especially useful in an urban environment, when you may constantly engage targets less than 50 yards away,” said Lance Cpl. Sean Alan Moore, a 21-year-old mortarman from Claremore, Okla., assigned to Weapons Platoon.
Beneath the shade of the ceiling and behind the protection of thick concrete walls, Marines shoot weapons ranging from the 9 mm pistol to the M-240G crew-served machine gun. They also practice with foreign weapons, like the AK-47 to become familiar with the enemy’s firepower.
“It’s nice to have indoor shooting,” said Staff Sgt. Felipe Brachetti, platoon sergeant, Weapons Platoon. “I haven’t heard of other indoor ranges in Iraq.”
The biggest advantage, according to the Marines who frequent the range, is the location. It lies well within the perimeter of Camp Smitty.
“If we go outside the wire, we run the risk of taking indirect fire,” said Sgt. Keith Pelton, the company police sergeant.
Aside from keeping their marksmanship skills sharp, regular range time gives Marines the ability to make sure their sights are properly adjusted and ready to kill, should the need arise.
“I try to take them as often as possible, because we rely on a proper battle sight zero to engage the enemy,” said Brachetti, 36, from Colton, Calif.
Spray-painted lines on the concrete floor indicate the 7, 10, 36, 50 and 100-yard lines. A row of wire-caged barriers filled with sand and a wall of dirt stop bullet impacts with a blast of dust and dirt hundreds of times a day.
Lance Cpl. Josh Alfredson, assigned to Weapons Platoon, has no complaints about firing his weapon on a regular basis.
“It’ll keep us up to date on our gunfighting skills,” said 21-year-old Alfredson, a mortarman from Sioux City, Iowa. It helps them to stay sharp “to quickly engage multiple targets, shooting from different positions and running through different scenarios.”
One shooting drill scenario that’s a favorite is the “Pat Rogers drill,” where Marines practice close-encounter scenarios from the 25-yard line and closer.
“You’ve just entered the room – he’s got a gun!” the instructor yelled. Marines respond with rapid fire, change magazines and shoot again.
The only thing missing on this range are orange range flags, which indicate wind value. Here though, there’s no need courtesy of the concrete walls.
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