13F Fire Support Specialist
Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion 78th Field Artillery
13F Class 08-23
Class 08-23 start their first day of 13F instructional training . The Soldiers begin by familiarizing themselves with communication equipment they will eventually use to request fire support. The radios they are trained on allows them to rapidly communicate across the battlefield. This baseline knowledge is critical to their specialty.
Class 08-23 begins learning the fundamentals of Land Navigation. Land Navigation instills the groundwork of the 13F MOS by allowing the Soldiers the necessary skills of how to read and utilize a military map.
Class 08-23 conducts Simulated Polar Missions in preparation for their graded evaluation at the end of the week. A polar mission means calling for fire at an estimated distance and direction from your known location. This is another tool Soldiers can use to rapidly engage targets on the battlefield.
Class 08-23 conducting simulated Calls for Fire by using the Shift from Known Point method of Call for Fire. Shift from known point is the third method our trainees learn to call for fire. This method relies on having designated points across the battlespace with the fire direction center. From those points they can then rapidly make corrections (left, right, add, drop) to engage targets that appear near them.
Class 08-23 conducts live and grid missions from Observation Post Mackenzie. The Soldiers received a 100% success rate with every Soldier passing their fire missions. Grid missions in the training area test their knowledge from the call for fire trainer. While the same techniques are applied, judging distance and reading from their map can challenge some trainees.
Class 07/08-23 "Ghost Platoon" Conducts out-processing in preparation for their upcoming graduation on Thursday 09 FEB 2023. These Soldiers have now completed their initial entry training and are ready to head out to the force!Class 07-23 establish an Observation Post and begin locating targets with Laser Range Finders to accurately engage targets utilizing live artillery. These devises allow Soldiers to rapidly engage targets at a much greater distance than traditional eyesight or binoculars allow. It gives precise locations and can even laser designate for aircraft!
