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2-15th Field Artillery Fills Infantry Shoes

1st Cavalry Division

By Pfc. Matthew McLaughlin
10th Mnt. Div. Public Affairs

     CAMP VICTORY, Baghdad, Iraq- Every Soldier is an infantryman first in the Army. One unit in Iraq is taking this belief to heart, trading in Howitzers in the rear for humvees on the streets. 
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, are conducting infantry operations in their area of responsibility here. While artillery and infantry tasks differ, Capt. Shawn Shutts, Battery B commander, 2-15 FA, said his Soldiers are up for the job. Pfc. Clint Chuayprasith, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, searches for improvised explosive devices in a pile of cow pies Aug. 30 in Iraq. The artillery unit is assuming infantry responsibilities in its area of operation.
     "It's different but not unusual for an artillery unit to have infantry responsibilities," Shutts said. "Soldiers are excited to be out here. They're not infantrymen yet, but they're learning."
Soldiers from 2-15 FA deployed as part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Commandos), 10th Mountain Division. The need for artillery fire is limited, however. The artillery unit became an infantry unit in every sense, except by name, as a result. First Lt. Michael Calderon, 2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery Regiment, talks to local Iraqi children Aug. 30 in Iraq. Like their cousin infatnry units, the field artillery Soldiers patrol their area of responsibility daily.
     "This is a different type of conflict," Shutts said. "We are out of the phase of battle where we shoot big artillery rounds." Part of 2-15 FA's tasks include protecting the area from insurgent attacks and to help Iraqi citizens rebuild their country, Shutts said. "We were given an area to take care of and to make sure it's secure," he said. "We also help the local community by making assessments of their sewage, water, electricity and trash, and report it to civil affairs. This is primarily an agricultural area. They're very concerned about water and electricity." Although some of their infantry tasks are new to the Soldiers, they are well prepared to meet their expectations, Shutts said. They began conducting infantry training in February in anticipation of a deployment.
     "We were preparing for this at Fort Drum," Spc. Roy Ingram, 2-15 FA said. "We did close combat .fighting and trained for convoy ambushes. We also did traffic control point and other training in Kuwait before we came to Iraq." Their training is already paying off, Shutts said. On Aug. 30, Soldiers from 2-15 FA and 1st Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment, Fort Polk, La., halted under a cluster of palm trees after a routine patrol. A 2-15 Infantry Soldier discovered a wire in the ground that connected three improvised explosive devices. Ironically, the IEDs were made from artillery rounds. 
     "It probably would have killed or wounded all of us," Shutts said. "A lot of it was luck, but a lot of it is these guys knowing what to look for." Most Soldiers are excited to conduct infantry missions and to gain new experiences, Ingram said. "Doing infantry stuff is fun," he said. "It's much different than field artillery. It gives us something different to do, something we haven't done in the past. We're out driving around looking for the bad guys." Pfc. Vincent Rodriguez, 2-15 FA, said he is glad to see another aspect of the Army he may not have been afforded if he wasn't deployed.  "I love my job, but before I didn't know what being infantry was all about," he said. "Here I get to see two sides of the Army."