Saw something like this in the MP forum, don't ask why I was over there, I don't know. Anyway, I'm sure that are some pretty interesting/funny Artillery stories out there and I'm just kinda curious. Since I started this thread I might as well share one of my own, bear in mind though, I haven't been a Red Leg all that long.
When I was at AIT we where up on the hill doing live fire missions. The FDC guys had gotten a new LT in and they where training him up on a few things. My mission ends, all targets destroyed of course , and this LT tries to send me up the EOM. Now when I tried to correct him he chewed me out for "not respecting an officer". My 13F instructor looks at me, expecting me to do something. I'm a pretty laid back individual so I was going to let it slide. My instructors, though, all had a massive chip on their collective shoulder and considered themselves above and beyond all other MOS'. As such he chewed me out for not standing up to some "pogue butter bar". He started spitting threats at me if I didn't get back on the comm and fight back. I was more afraid of my instructors than I was any officer so I did. I pulled some reply out of the air and waited for the LT to say something. Can you guess what he did? He quoted AR 670-1.... yeah.... I know right? Anyway, my instructor took over at this point and slammed the FDC guys for a while, we all had a pretty good laugh.
Okay, I wasn't a gun bunny, but I got one for you.
We were out in the boonies at Ft Bragg one time playing Army. We'd set up late at night and crashed out. The next morning, we got up, ate chow and prepared to move out. Through the trees, about 100 yards away, we could see some 8" SP Guns set up.
We were headed that direction anyhow so we wandered over their way. The cannon cockers were getting ready to fire. I thought, "this might be cool. I've never been this close to the guns before."
Then, my CO asked to see their Safety Officer. He pulled him aside and asked what he thought he was doing. The SO, a 1LT, told him this was a Reserve unit and they were getting ready to fire their first mission of their two week Annual Training.
The CO asked to see his map and told the SO that not only were they about 10KM from the real firing point, they were oriented to fire offpost.....not into the impact area.
The SO decided he'd argue the point. We weren't in a hurry, so we waited for Range Control to drive to the correct firing point. No guns there. Then, they came to where the CO said we were.
It was pretty funny to see a 1LT with his heels locked while talking to the SFC Range Control NCO.
The Safety Officer was Active Duty, from a Corps unit on post. And, although my CO was a short little dude, only about 5'5", he was a Quarter Pounder person
I see, so they had an active duty S.O. running around with a reserve unit? That seems a might bit odd to me but I haven't been in long enough. Does/did something like that happen a lot?
From what I understand, it used to. Not sure about now. When Reserve or NG units came to train, their SOs were Active Duty from some unit on post. Someone who was supposed to know what they were doing.ie: all the Range Control SOPs & quirks.
Just thought of these two, they come from my units AT this year.
Anyway, I'm up on the hill, observing rounds, and lo and behold two Blackhawk helicopters come wondering into our firing zone. We had been running airburst missions that morning and these guys where pretty low. We called check fire before any more rounds left the tube. It took us three hours just to figure out who they where and why they where on our range. It took another hour of arguing with their command to get them to leave. Eventually we got so bored we just started coming up with fire missions with the helicopters as targets. Not that I want to kill other soldiers but I would have kinda liked to see how those missions would/could have played out.
One day we had the chaplain come out to watch us blow $hit up and just hang out in general. Both me and him where sitting in my truck, watching said rounds impact, when all of a sudden a round detonates in the air just a little bit forward of our position and about 200m. The chaplain ducks for cover in the vehicle and I just watch him. Real calmly I look over at him and say "Don't worry Sir, if we where in range of that we'd already be dead." All he could do is look at and blink. Needless to say he didn't stay on the firing hill much longer.
At our last live fire, all the Btry Commanders decided to make a cool video for our incoming brigade commander, who had never commanded or been part of an MLRS unit before. So they filmed throughout the exercise and came up with some cool footage. After they sent the completed video off to the Colonel, they decided to show it to us, which was when they realized that somehow they had forgot to edit out the Alpha Btry First Sergeant yelling "HOLY FUHCKING DOG SH.IT!!!!" followed by a whole other string of interesting curses. He had been a 13F his whole career and never seen an MLRS live fire before, and the Brigade Commander got to hear him express his enthusiasm in true Artillery fashion. Luckily the Colonel had a sense of humor about it.
Here's my story and I'm sticking to it..... (as the country song goes).
Our Battalion is doing the dog and pony show for the FA branch as part of the ROTC classes at Ft. Lewis in summer of '90. We have a battery of 102's lined up below OP 1. The guns are in turn directed by the FO on OP9. So the artillery is firing charge two's to reach the designated target(s). One of the E-5 gun chief throws in a charge 6; round is fired and it is unspotted by the FO's. Check fire is called and they send out survey to help find out where this round went. This round landed just off post about 50 meters from a private albight not exactly up to code home. Luckily no one is hurt and we made CNN for stupidity (I know, slow news day).
The funny part is that after the ROTC summer camp, the E-5 gun chief is awarded an AAM for his dedication and efforts over the entire summer.
In Fayetteville, you can hear the Arty fire all the time. Sometimes you can feel it.
Way back when, they had Operation Firefex '75. Every tube of Arty in the 18th Airborne Corps was at Ft Bragg, at one time. They even had all the Mortars from the 82nd involved. The last day of the gig, everyone registered on the same target.
The grand finale was a TOT, by everyone. Not only was it felt in town, it broke windows.
, and this LT tries to send me up the EOM. Now when I tried to correct him he chewed me out for "not respecting an officer". My 13F instructor looks at me, expecting me to do something. I'm a pretty laid back individual so I was going to let it slide. My instructors, though, all had a massive chip on their collective shoulder and considered themselves above and beyond all other MOS'. As such he chewed me out for not standing up to some "pogue butter bar". He started spitting threats at me if I didn't get back on the comm and fight back. I was more afraid of my instructors than I was any officer so I did. I pulled some reply out of the air and waited for the LT to say something. Can you guess what he did? He quoted AR 670-1.... yeah.... I know right? Anyway, my instructor took over at this point and slammed the FDC guys for a while, we all had a pretty good laugh.
