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Paris Island, S.C. (August 8, 2022): In this photo by Corporal Samuel Fletcher, Marines embrace loved ones during Family Day at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina. The event allows newly minted Marines the chance to reconnect with their families before graduation day. This Marine went through several intense phases of physical and emotional training to earn the right to wear the eagle, globe, and anchor of the U.S.M.C.
Paris Island, S.C. (August 8, 2022): For the Marines, it is the first time they set their feet on “yellow feet” painted on the tarmac on day one. For soldiers, it is a swarm of angry drill sergeants descending on a bus full of terrified recruits. Air Force trainees remember the rather rude greeting they received at Lackland entering the B.E.A.S.T. (training regimen). It seems every service has its “shock and awe” methods to welcome volunteers to the rigors of military life.
While terrifying at the time, most veterans agree their baptism during basic training taught many valuable lessons that have lasted a lifetime. In the photo above, a newly “made” Marine hugs her loved one after enduring some of the most arduous and challenging infantry training in the world.
Regardless of service, there are certain informal “phases” one goes through before earning the right to wear the uniform.
Phase one involves emotional shock, unfamiliar surroundings, and angry drill instructors. Here you learn respect for authority, to instantly obey orders, why the chain of command is so important and, through countless surprise inspections, attention to detail. Each day seems like a fight for survival, to respond appropriately and, above all, don’t stick out.
During the second phase, recruits develop the drive to win, to take the initiative and overcome adversity, and to learn how to work as a team. No matter where you are from, you learn quickly to respect ethnic or cultural differences and to treat fellow recruits with respect. There are no “individualists” in the ranks as each needs the other to survive.
Read more: LESSONS THAT LAST A LIFETIME… BASIC TRAINING IS THE ULTIMATE “SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS”
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Philippine Sea (July 28, 2022): In this photo by Lance Corporal Yvonne Iwae, U.S. Navy Sailors assigned to the USS New Orleans transport supplies off an Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in support of the Marine Corps 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 31st MEU is the only continuously deployed quick reaction force available for any combat or humanitarian crisis in the Indo-Pacific
Philippine Sea. (July 28, 2022): By throwing a temper tantrum off the coast of Taiwan, China may have unwittingly given western intelligence officers a bonanza of up-to-date information on their military capability. In the past week, China has conducted live fire exercises and repeatedly violated Taiwan air space, all under the watchful eye of America’s 7th Fleet.
American intelligence operatives are viewing, in real time, Chinese naval and air tactics, operating procedures, and the number and types of ships and aircraft they are likely to employ in an invasion of Taiwan.
Why is China doing this?
Read more: CHINA UPDATE… TEMPER TANTRUM CREATES A “GOLD MINE” FOR AMERICAN INTELLIGENCE
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Camp Roberts, CA. (August 4, 2022): In this photo by Staff Sergeant Walter Lowell, Army Colonel Randy Lau fires a 120mm Mortar during live fire exercises at Camp Roberts, California. Mortars are the squads’ “Artillery” and these skilled crews save many lives in combat.
Camp Roberts, CA. (August 4, 2022): In modern science, the word “Artillery” means big guns firing massive shells to devastate the enemy. A far more basic form of “Arty” for an infantry squad is the humble, but highly effective, Mortar.
The earliest record of Mortars in combat was by the Ottomans in 1453 who constructed large contraptions, some weighing as much as 5 tons, capable of firing projectiles weighing over 200 pounds. Modern Mortars are tiny by comparison but provide a major league wallop on the battlefield.
Read more: INDIRECT FIRE SPECIALISTS BRING SQUAD LEVEL “ARTILLERY”
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In this photo by Staff Sergeant John Yountz, a U.S. Army paratrooper assigned to 4th Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment (Airborne) shoulders a round for the M777 Howitzer for an artillery capabilities fire demonstration during a leadership validation exercise at the U.S. Army Joint Multinational Readiness Center at Hohenfels, Germany. American Cannoneers provide close fire support for infantry units when lives are on the line.
Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. (July 31, 2022): These are the most chilling words a soldier can hear crackle over the radio; “We are being overrun!” A squad is pinned down with multiple wounded, unable to move as the enemy closes in. Their survival depends on the skill and bravery of U.S. Artillery Cannon Crewmembers.
For over two centuries, American artillerymen have delivered close fire support for infantry units like these saving countless lives and deciding many battles. U.S. artillery came of age in the 1830’s when smaller, lighter cannon with longer range were produced, the most famous being the Model 1841 Mountain Howitzer. The term Howitzer comes the German word “Haubitze” or basket and refers to a cannon with a shortened barrel and a breach shaped like a funnel increasing accuracy and portability.
Today, Army Cannon Crewmembers (MOS 13 Bravo) are responsible for firing howitzers in support of infantry and tank units during combat. These troops load and fire howitzers, set fuses and charges on multiple munitions, and must make split second decisions, often while under fire themselves.
Read more: AMERICAN CANNONEERS… THIRTEEN BRAVO’S ARE LIFESAVERS
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In this U.S. Army photo by Kevin Payne, 1st Lieutenant Nancy Gomez fires an M777 Howitzer during direct fire exercises at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. The “Triple Seven” uses Excalibur rounds; a 155mm extended range shell that uses a jam-resistant internal GPS receiver to guide it to its target and is accurate to within 30 feet.
Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany. (August 2, 2022): First you see a flash. Then comes a rumbling beneath your feet until the thunderous explosion rattles your entire body. Ears ringing, gun smoke fills the air as the next round heads down range with similar ferocity. The first thought that comes to mind is “Dear God, it must be awful to be on the receiving end of that.”
Anyone who has witnessed American artillery can attest to its awesome, almost life altering, power. When the Russians invaded, little did they realize their troops would be on the “receiving end” of American might, wielded by a brave and determined Ukraine.
Read more: THE EXCALIBUR IS THE SWORD… THE “TRIPLE SEVEN” PACKS THE PUNCH
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Queensland, Australia. (August 2, 2022): In this photo by Lance Corporal Alyssa Chuluda, a U.S. Army High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 94th Field Artillery Regiment, 12th Field Artillery Brigade and a United States Marine Corps HIMARS with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines, fire rockets during Exercise Talisman Sabre on Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia. These Army and Marine sister units jointly train on the deadly HIMARS system that is turning the tide in Ukraine.
Queensland, Australia. (August 2, 2022): Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines Terror as “ a state of intense, overwhelming fear”, which is probably an accurate description of Russia’s soldiers in Ukraine right now. The Russians are getting to know HIMARS, an acronym they won’t soon forget.
The U.S. Army’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) has arrived in numbers on the battlefields of Ukraine to devastating effect on the invaders. In a recent article in Newsweek, author Jason Lemon describes HIMARS as a ‘game changer” in the Ukraine War quoting retired U.S. Army General Mark Hertling, the former Commander for U.S. Army Europe and 7th Army, as saying HIMARS delivers “greater range, precision accuracy with fewer rounds” than anything on the battlefield.
America has delivered upwards of 16 HIMARS units so far and intelligence experts say the Ukrainians have used them to successfully target enemy airfields, ammunition dumps, and command headquarters deep into Russian occupied territory. In fact, HIMARS is so effective that the Russian Army has lost 14 Generals in Ukraine, an unheard loss of senior officers not seen since World War II.
So, what is this HIMARS, and what makes it so effective in this conflict?
Read more: HIMARS A “GAME CHANGER” IN UKRAINE AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY IS TERRORIZING RUSSIANS
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