Artillery, armor units training to deploy as MPs

Army News Service ^ | Jan. 28, 2004 | Spc. William Addison and Staff Sgt. Pascual Flores

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

 

Artillery, armor units training to deploy as MPs

By Spc. William Addison and Staff Sgt. Pascual Flores

Spc. Chris Duffy, left, and Spc. Robert Groves, 107th Field Artillery, Pennsylvania National Guard, experience the fire power of an MK-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher at Range 59C, Fort Dix, N.J., as they train to deploy for a military police mission.
Staff Sgt. Pascual Flores

FORT DIX, N.J. (Army News Service, Jan. 28, 2004) -- Artillerymen normally pride themselves on their weapons, so when about 2,500 National Guard members were informed they were being deployed without their howitzers, it came as a shock.

Fort Dix has been designated a mobilization and training center for field artillery and armor units that are being deployed for missions normally performed by military police companies, said Col. Lonnie Barham, chief of the Strategic Mobility Division at Dix. Other artillery units have been training in MP skills at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., home of the Military Police School.

The National Guard units chosen for this new mission designated “in lieu of,” hail from various states from as far west as Texas and spanning the east coast from New Hampshire and Vermont to Florida.

Eleven National Guard units are already training at Fort Dix, including guardsmen from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The post expects the remaining units to arrive within the next 6-8 weeks.

While at Dix, the units will go through the normal mobilization process, such as the Soldier Readiness Check center that includes medical and dental evaluations, inoculations, and a full administrative review.

Then for the next 40 days, MP training will be conducted by various elements of the 78th Division (Training Support), from Edison, N.J. Soldiers whose passion is making grid squares disappear will learn new skills outside of their military occupational specialty.

Specifically, the Soldiers will be training in two aspects of the MP field, Maneuver and Mobility Support Operations, and Area Security operations. Some of the tasks include route reconnaissance and surveillance, convoy escorts, mounted and dismounted patrols and cordon and search techniques to name just a few.

The artillerymen will also be required to qualify on much smaller weapons than they are used to, including the M-16 or M-4 carbine, M-9 pistol, MK-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher, M-203 grenade launcher, AT-4 anti-tank weapon and M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon, know as the SAW.

Most of the Soldiers training for this new mission welcomed the new experience.

“My 3rd Platoon ‘Scorpions,’ are in high spirit on this new mission and their high morale even surprises me, said 1st Lt. West Martin, 112th Field Artillery, New Jersey National Guard.

“We have been at the ranges for the past week learning all types of weapons,” West said. “Guards are familiar with rifles and pistols, but now we are getting proficient and comfortable with the Army’s vast array of individual and crew-served weapons.”

“As Guardsmen, we partake in civil disturbance training once a year and in October 2001 we were mobilized for Operation Noble Eagle, tasked with providing security at airports, bridges and tunnels,” West said.

With all the changes going on within the Army, Soldiers like those in the 172nd New Hampshire National Guard have learned to cope with the pace.

“The key to our success is what we have been told all along -- be flexible,” said Sgt. Brad Mills about his unit’s ability to learn the new skills. “With every obstacle there’s something to overcome and we are used to being adaptive,” he added.

“I think everyone who’s in the artillery would rather tow a M-198 behind them, but a mission is a mission,” said Sgt. Bill Chaussee, also of the 172nd.

“It came as a disappointment,” said Sgt. 1st Class Thomas McGee, platoon sergeant for 4th Platoon, 172nd Field Artillery from New Hampshire. “There are a lot of us that love artillery, but we can adjust.”

Also participating in this training are guardsmen from Pennsylvania armor and air defense units.

(Editor’s note: Spc. William Addison is a member of the 444th MPAD and Sgt. Pascual Flores is a member of the Fort Dix public affairs office.)

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

FORT DIX, N.J. -- Artillerymen normally pride themselves on their weapons, so when about 2,500 National Guard members were informed they were being deployed without their howitzers, it came as a shock.

Fort Dix has been designated a mobilization and training center for field artillery and armor units that are being deployed for missions normally performed by military police companies..

Eleven National Guard units are already training at Fort Dix, including guardsmen from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

The artillerymen will ..be required to qualify on much smaller weapons than they are used to, including the M-16 or M-4 carbine, M-9 pistol, MK-19 40mm automatic grenade launcher...

“I think everyone who’s in the artillery would rather tow a M-198 behind them, but a mission is a mission,” said Sgt. Bill Chaussee...“It came as a disappointment,” said Sgt. 1st Class Thomas McGee..“There are a lot of us that love artillery, but we can adjust.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Transformation, bang! ~*

[Meldrim]

Well, at least the Armor and Artillery reconfigured MP units will not have to put up with the birth control/pregnancy problem. What a delight it must be to command a unit without an internal sexual interaction element...no doubt fairly cost effective as well.

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Ping.
~~~~~

Related:

8 ARTILLERY: Marine Mortar Replaces Howitzer ~ StrategyPage.com  | 1/16/04

[SAMWolf]

Bump

[serurier]

Ragtime Cowgirl , I think , Army need more armoured Protect .

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

I don't like it.

We are going to be needing artillerymen again.

You can train gun bunnies to be Constabulary troopers a helluva faster than you can train MP's to put 155mm counter-mortar fire on target in under a minute. I wish they were taking their guns with them.

[SAMWolf]

I have to agree with you. This is a war, not a police forece. You want cops, send police men. IMHO it's a mis-use of trained troops.

[SAMWolf]

Army need more armoured Protect

Yep, these guys were trained to put steel on target, not play cop.

[Tailback]

All the Oregon National Guard Cavalry scouts are being reclassed as 11-B's or MP's prior to being sent to Iraq. I'm sure the active army units will give them armored Humvees instead of old unarmored versions. (/sarcasm)

I seem to recall the AAR from operation anaconda mentioning that artillery support was needed (and sorely missed) in the operation and that mortar fire was a poor substitute for 105mm and 155mm howitzers. (Air Force is not always available.)

[neverdem]

They may be reclassified for their primary MOS but still retain 13B as a secondary MOS. After they DEROS from Iraq and return to the U.S. they can become 13B again.

[Tailback]

Or better yet, they can say "I didn't volunteer to be a fu**ing MP or 11-Bulletstopper" and ETS as soon as their stop loss is lifted. Artillery blows stuff up, they don't mediate tribal disputes.

[windchime]

Bump!

[Matthew James]

A friend of mine (MP) just returned from Baghdad. He said that his unit was just doing checkpoint duty, while artillery and armor units were doing the more dynamic, traditionally MP missions. He was left somewhat disillusioned.

[Redleg Duke]

You got that right!

[Redleg Duke]

Why not use the Grunts for this?

[Redleg Duke]

"Artillery blows stuff up, they don't mediate tribal disputes."

Rather, when we mediate a tribal dispute, there ain't gonna be anyone left to despute our mediation!

[Darksheare]

I don't like this either.
Artillerymen exist for one purpose.
To blow stuff up.
That is their sole function, and indeed the only thing they honestly really enjoy.
Having Artillerymen try to shift 'mental gearing' to be MP's is like having tankers try to be Airforce Pilots.
There's a complete difference in thought and action there.
God be with them.
Because my former Captain is going to be there.
Hopefully, he doesn't get anyone killed.

[Darksheare]

Two words that make an artlleryman's eyes GLEAM: FIRE MISSION!