![]() Behn, commander of 7 th TB(X) would be the second to fire the weapon. All around, this was a fantastic opportunity for the 11th Transportation Battalion, and we are proud to have been a part of it.”Ĭol. “Not only were asset capabilities expanded, so were the operational abilities of the Soldiers. “Reaching back to veteran doctrine and utilizing it in today's military environment, to be on the forefront of operational change and to potentially affect how the Army fights is extraordinary,” Boffardi said. Boffardi would be the first person to fire an artillery round off of an LCM in 50 years and the first person to fire an artillery round for 111th artillery in 70 years. This is a job that is usually on the gun crew, but now resided on the vessel crew.”įiring started early in the morning on the coastal range and all the kinks were worked out the day before. “There is a fine balance between beaching the vessel to a point that it is stable enough to fire, and not be so beached that it cannot pull itself off the bank to leave when the firing is complete. “Firing accurately isn’t the only job of the gun crew, they have to shoot-and-move to avoid return fire,” Horn said. On the watercraft side of the operations, the biggest challenge was how to hold the vessel still with an extreme level of precision. These are the types of problems that we could not foresee and what make this exercise so valuable,” he said. Once the boat banked itself, we had no problems. Having it loiter in the area made it difficult to receive information. “We weren’t receiving our fire mission from the lead vessel with the fire direction center. Once secure, the challenge would be how the recoil would affect the set up.Īccording to Tarrant, the largest challenge came later on in the digital communication during the dry fire missions. Sandbags, composite bulkheads and platforms were fabricated to secure the Howitzer to the vessel. The first challenge for the artillery unit was stability on the landing craft. If we’re shooting artillery I’m all for it.” I don’t care if we are shooting from a hill, forest or a boat. “My job as master gunner is to ensure my soldiers are shooting rounds. 1st Class Teran Alford, Battalion master gunner for 111th FA. “When I first heard about this mission, I was excited,” said Sgt. “They were using different artillery and did not have digital equipment, so it was quite a big learning curve.” Daniel Tarrant, 1st Battalion, 111th Field Artillery Regiment. “I literally had to read old doctrine from Vietnam and dig to find faded black and white photos to start getting an idea of where to start,” said Virginia Army National Guard Capt. The 111th Field Artillery Regiment, jumped on board the opportunity to conduct the riverine mission with the watercraft and were instrumental in re-developing the method used to secure the Howitzer fast and effectively to the watercraft. Claudia Casso, Commander of 1098 TD, and her unit planned the tactical movement and mission planning. ![]() Zach Wilson, executive officer of 1098th TD, details the progression by stating that Boffardi and the S-3 of 11 th Battalion oversaw operation planning as Capt. Damien Boffardi, 11 th Battalion, 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) commander, he recognized the relevance that this would give the watercraft units in a near-peer environment, and propelled the project forward.ġst Lt. “I’m a 13 Bravo and was with an artillery unit, so when I started to look into the history of the unit to familiarize myself with it, I was shocked to see that the modern day utility vessel was used as an artillery platform in the Vietnam War,” Horn said. 1st Class Christopher Horn, who took responsibility of 1098th TD in 2016, to resurrect the concept. The conception for a riverine fire mission is nothing new, but it would be the first time since the Vietnam War it has been done. They would join the Virginia Army National Guard’s 1st Battalion and the 111th Field Artillery Regiment to load and mount the 105 mm M119 Howitzer. ![]() Eustis, Virginia, to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In the small hours of Easter morning, a fleet of five Landing Craft Mechanized MK-8s (LCM-8) from the 1098th Transportation Detachment of 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), set sail from Ft.
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