‘Ready First’ Brigade Artillerymen Adapting to New Missions
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Force protection, information operations and information delivery are not the sort of tasks one typically thinks of when considering the mission of a Brigade Fire Support Element.
Just as many Soldiers have done during Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division FSE have “adjusted fire” and learned several new missions.
Calling for fire support from artillery, naval gunfire, and close air support comprise the doctrinal missions for a FSE. However, with Operation Iraqi Freedom’s major combat operations completed, the need for their call-for-fire skills has diminished.
The team now finds itself engaged in non-lethal missions which include delivering “Baghdad Now,” a community newspaper produced for the residents of Baghdad, working with the Division Public Affairs Section to determine public reaction to the media and assisting reporters. They go into the community with Civil Affairs teams, analyze data with Counter Intelligence specialists to determine a community’s mood and provide force protection for the forward operating base and for convoys.
“We’ve added a whole new level to our arsenal,” said Sgt. 1st Class Darrin M. Domko, brigade fire support sergeant. Instead of their traditional weapons, these artillerymen use word processors and fight on the information battlefield.
“Now we can write articles for the local papers,” Domko said.
With 150 non-lethal missions and 253 hours of road time logged since their arrival in May 2003, the Soldiers of the “Ready First “ Brigade FSE have adapted well to their new missions but the transition hasn’t always been easy, according to some FSE Soldiers.
“It’s definitely been a total change in how we not only work but how we think about our mission,” said Sgt. Thomas Grigsby, fire support sergeant.
Without a Field Manual or official training programs to provide guidance, the team adapted as their varied missions required, integrating with unit and staff sections they’ve never worked with before.
Information Operations doctrine that has worked well in other theatres has proven its worth only as a basic template in Iraq. The section had taken the doctrine and adapted it for its missions.
While the FSE Soldiers’ missions are non-lethal in intent, the section has faced it share of dangerous moments.
Each Soldier has his tales to tell. One common story they share involves the night a rocket-propelled grenade that struck within inches of the section’s two HMMWVs.
“We were out making our weekly newspaper deliveries in front of the Aadhamiya Mosque,” said Staff Sgt Korey Hinkle, assistant brigade fire support sergeant. “Everything seemed normal. We’re talking to the residents in the area when all of a sudden they all begin leaving and it gets very quiet.”
Hinkle said the Soldiers were trying to understand their situation when “all of a sudden we hear a boom and turn towards the mosque to see a rocket coming straight for us.”
Time seemed to slow down and a line of fire passed between Hinkle’s and the team’s second vehicle.
“A foot to the left, a foot to the right and both of us would have been in a world of hurt,” he said.
With a year of on-the-job training, the Soldiers of the FSE have risen to the occasion and adapted to their new role and missions, said Domko. Nothing in their previous training or unit exercises completed before deploying to Operation Iraqi Freedom formally prepared them for the mission and assignments they now face.
“But, this team has pulled together and really done an outstanding job,” he said.
