Back In the Swing of Things
It only took about 7 months since my redeployment from Afghanistan, to “put rockets down-range”. For those of you who do not know, my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) in the Army is 13 M (Mike). I am a MLRS / HIMARS Crewman, King of the Field Artillery. If you’re not sure what this is, you can Google it. But the death dealing machine I command is known commonly as a HIMARS “Launcher”. By comparison, if you were to think of tank and it’s ability to blow a hole in the wall of a building, what I do, and the vehicle I command has the capability of destroying an entire city block. Get a couple of us launchers together, and we can devastate an area larger than 1,000 meters by 1,000 meters. Rocket and Missile Artillery… Damn it feels good to be back home.
But back to what I was saying.
7 Months after returning from Afghanistan, I certify with my Driver and Gunner and become the first 
Launcher in the Battalion to successfully fire rockets since the Battalions return from Afghanistan. Not only that, but we also made the cover of the covenant AKO Webpage (Army Knowledge Online – a site for soldiers to manage career information and more!)
Might I say – it felt damn good to get back into things. I can honestly say that I love my job as a 13M. It seems a lot of people find our MOS to be boring, or whatever… but I can confidently say it is quite possibly to the most-ass MOS the Army has. I seen and fired a lot of rockets in my time, and every time it is extremely impressive to watch and usually more impressive than the last.
But what made this go around quite possibly the coolest, was that it was a combined live fire training exercise. I’ve shot with some people cool units, everything from Korean Military, Special Forces, Rangers, and Navy Seals… but to be honest, they all kind of felt the same in the sense that we were not “physically” working with them from where I (in the launcher) shoot from. Usually they were several thousand meters away, looking at a target through binoculars and calling us with a grid (“location”) to destroy a target. While this time around this part of the equation remained, there were lots more guns on the ground with us, and … n the Air.
We were located next to a “cannon” unit. Usually when you think of “Artillery”, cannons are what you think of. So they were set up next to us with about 4 or 5 M777 Howitzer Cannons. But the coolest part was the air was dominated by Kiowa Helicopters, and A-10 Warthogs; an anti-tank / close air support attack plane. Daily, we would hear the sounds of the cannons ripping off shells like crazy. Then, about three-quarters through their firing… one, two, or three of our HIMARS launchers would receive a “Call for Fire” Mission, and a few seconds later – rockets would be flying through the air, silencing the cannons as the rockets burst through the sound barrier releasing an impressive sonic boom.
Like I said… it never gets old.
Shortly after we would be done shooting, the Close Air Support of the A10’s would dive into the target unleashing all of the devils fury, before quickly turning out and skimming just a couple feet above the ground over our firing positions as if gesture a “hello”, “go team”, or “fuck yeah that was awesome!”. At one point, an A-10 came so close to my launcher and banked hard left, that I could look up and recognize the pilot clearly… I pee’d myself it was so bad ass.
I am thankful for every opportunity I get to shoot rockets. It’s defiantly something not very many people get to do in their time. I have one more big “Hooah-Rah” as my First Sergeant put it, before I head off to my next big Army Life Chapter.. as I was nominated, and selected by the Army to be a Drill Sergeant.
In The Army Now 
What you’re saying…