.

,
I

Vershina able
56th Field Artillery Brigade

Vol. 11,.No.l

o.-ni..11

Blast off!
1/81 FA fires Pershing mlsslle
bf Keith MIity!
Soldiers of Bauery 8, 1st Bat1alion, 81st Field Anillery,
recently fired the Army's m051 powerful weapon at Mc
Gregor Range, N.M.
Sp4 Janet Childress pressed the firing buuons and
watched as the Pershing missile belched smoke and name.
"Along with all the noise came a feeling of definite accom
plishment." she said. "I saw for myself how the system
reullJ works."
"The most important pan of the whole P.roject was the
las, 10 seoonds," said Sp4 Ronald Tanner. 'You're saying
tu yourself. go, go. You see the boom drop, the cable mass
pop. and from then on you know you've got it made.
"Then you sec the Rames burst and within four seconds
- she's gone! It's &Otto be a once in a lifetime e,pericncc."
The successful live.fire was the culmination of many
days of hard work, according to Childress and Tanner.
Upon its a rri,al at the range, the contingent's ground

suPl)()rl area and missile CQuipment were inspected.

The missile was "mated," and pulled into the Firing
Point Position. Then came the Iona awaited count-down.
"We encountered some minor problems at first," said
Childress. "But eerythina went smoothly up to, and in
eluding, the firing day."
Childress also commented that troop participaiion in a
firing exercise i, important. ~use of the experience
gained in an actual firing mission.
"The name of the game is teamwork," 5aid Tanner.
"Atlit"d~ play an important role in Pershing firings. You
have to be able to work together 10 get the job done.
"'Once you get that job done, you bae a better understandmg ot what you're there tor.
"We didn't look at oursel,es as officers, NCOs or lowerenlisted on the shoot," he added. "We thought of ourselves
as a team sent back to perform a mission - and we did
it."

55th lfalnt. Bn.

New .unit growing

The SStb Maintenance Batlalion has
strengthened its role in support of the 56ih
Field Artillery Briga~. by bringing three
more companlet under ,ta naa recently.
.
The A'iiation Detachment. formcTly atsigned to Headquarters Battery, S6tb FA
Bcle.; became C<>mpany E (Avn), 55th
Maint. Bn.,onOct. IS.
The Co. E soldien witnessed the provi
sional activation officiated by Col. Richard
Rou.-iUe. maade deputy oamriv.ndcr, and
Lt Col. Williim S. Liitlefield, battalion
commander. Lit1lefaeld welcomed the soldien ol his newest company aboard and
spoke of the battalion's goals.
The S79th Ord. Co., formerly of the 3rd
Ord. Bn., 59th Ord. Bcle., wu inducted into
the ranks ol tbe SSth Maint. Bn. the followina dly at Nelson Barracks in Neu Ulm
About the newly dalpated Co. D, Ut
tlefield said, "We arc fortunate to be able

to acquire a unit as lcchnicallr proficient as

the 579th, whose professiona pride has so
1uccesafully supported the- 56th FA B<lc.
mission:'
.
Service Battery, 3rd Bn., 84th FA, has
ako joined the SSth Maint. Bn. as Co. C.
durins a ceremony held Nov. 2oat Artillery
Kaseme in Ncckarsulm. The battalion's
motto it "Complete Support."
The SStb Maint. Bn. forward support
company concept is designed to offer a wide
ranae of services 10 the firing battalions.
according to 2nd Lt. Matt Steele. The company ()rOVides supPOrt _in sc,ieral new areas,
including automotwe d,rt support.
The SSth Maint. Bn., one ol the newest iri
Germany, currently has fi,e companies, including: Headquarters. A. C, D, and E. Svc.
Btry., 1st Bn., 81st FA, in Neu Ulm, is
slated to be formally rcdcsignated u Co. B
in February 1982.

ACTIVATION - SFC Manuel F. Lozano, first sergeant of HHC, 55th Malnt.

Bn., uneases the Co. C guldon held by the 56th FA Sde. Deputy Commander,
Col. Richard G. Rounsevllle during an activation ceremony held ,._,tly at
Artillery Kaserne, Neckarsulm.
(Photo by Brad Mosher)

Germans seek lonely Gls

in need of holiday cheer
Single soldiers in the SchwaebischGmuend subcommunity can sign up
now to spend Christmas with a German famil~ under the briaade
Christmas Visitation Program.
A "wannup" meeting has been
scheduled for 1 p.m., Dec. IS at the
Schwacbisch-Omuend Officer's Club,
to allow German hosta and their Amer.
ican gucsu to become acquainted before the holiday.
Because of time and distances inolved, some of the German hosta will
not be attending the meeting.
Poin u-of-(X)fltact have been designated for each unit in the area to help
soldiers siJn up for this year's program. lndwiduals can call or see the
following people to get involved:

S6tb FA Bcle, SSat. Tanner, 723

HHB, 1/41, Lt. Bak:er, 761
Alpha, 1/41, SSgt. Jones, 727
Bravo1 1/41,SFCMizcll, 742
Charlte, 1/41, I ht Sgt. Howell, 160
Military Police, SSgt. Sbulko, 790
Regional Personnel Center, SFC
Chidester, 811
90th Medical Detachment, SFC Soldier, 814
7S7tb Medical Det., SFC HOO\ler, 724
266th Chemical, Sgt. B. Snyder, 784
Finance Section, Sgt. Redman, 764
Alpha, SStb Maint. 1st Sgt. Wilson,
766
Similar programi are takin8 place in
the other communities where Pershing
soldiers arc stationed. Sec your unit 1st
Sgt.

Now hold still

Sp4 Cattly Steele, a clerk with HHB, 3184th FA, wlncea u Sp6 Charlie
vaccine Into her arm.
Anthony, the NCOIC of the battallon Aid Station, Injects
Soldiers throughout the 56th FA Bde., have received Immunizations to guard
against epidemics which m':!1!11 affect the combat reediness of entire units.
...:;
(Photo by Brad Mosher)

nu

Dlceml

Field training 'no picnic'

StoriM Md ...... .., . . . ~
Life in the riekl may be a lot lite camping 001, but it's no picnic - pecially 10
Germany whe!e tbc wcatber can be disaa,eeable.
But for the soldiers ol Battay A, ISi
Battalion, 4111 F'ICld Artillery, S6111 FA Bripde, the rrte-day 11ay ia Ille woods DCII'
Badnang ia early Nowcmber WU bctta
than usual.
Tile exercise bepn 11nder Anny stia and
oddly enouab, tbe unpr<dictable German
weather cooperated.
Al part or tbc uercise. 11ie c:rewmen set
up tbeir lllillii. for "firinf" and tbea
awaited furtbcr inllnactiom. a lbc meantime, thete wu maintenance to tend to,
111&rd duty, and a boll of other "not-sopleasant," but ramiliar talks 10 occupy their
time.
Tiley ltiJJ hadn't simulated "firina" the
missiles U night fdJ OD the third dly of the

rield p,oblem. neir campai1e1 .-ere enve-

loped in di"- under u CIWC1'CUl sty,

and only a little li&bt penetnled tbc fotest

roof.

~...

l'itcb-blad: at 7 p.111., tbc solclien oould

only~ lbc time widi - l i o l l befOR bittin. tlle sack." N o t ~
the misliJca, - . I 3rd PIL "
"
bad erected a mato-sbift awma lllina a

allclter.balf.
Sp4 David Buter, and PFC. Wall"'
IAibcalperaer, Frank Cuppcll, and OI'
ludo Arilez, hllddl.i i.-111 it in the
cold, black nipt. "lmom' and
witll two radio operators, PFC, Mit.e Bar
leUo ud Sam Comier. Herc tllcy awaited
nnlq; or lhe .-1111 al the . . _ ca1J.
tllcin to duty and a rltina mimiae -

r.*i!' "

me.

whicllewer came r111t.

TIie IOllDd ol the tJuoa came abortly
before mornina' first liabt. FOi and
drizzle permeated the oold air u the IOI

scar and nisbed

c - ....

clicn ~ OD their
the llllllile site.

to

'7be tlaxon only -nclcd a short blut,"

said PFC Les R.i~, a "Blacbb "
mluUe ctewman, 'but it wu enou1b~
my way over to the lllilliJes, I trippc,d cwer
u M~ mach!Dea1111 pmitioo . . . I tdl
yoa. tllat'a a bell ol a way to atart the

da .

fi..--

qidly J'ftP&Rd the lllillilm, perionned a "oo.nt," and simulated

r,nq t - miaales. The third miMile WU
ordered r.o a new firin, poaitloe for a "hip

ahoot."
The c:rewDWI worbd fewcrishly to clear
away the miaile'a ca. .flage netwi,. in
PRP&ratioo for "-.di order."
Once tlua WU l<lOOmptidled, alJ that

left . . . to break don tJle c:qllipmart

the two missila tllat !lad beat
"rired," and await the nwcla ordcr tllat
wmld alpal their Nlllrll IO llaticm. Even
Iha, the acn:iae would not be - 1 until
tllcy laad wuhetl !heir vehicle& ua field

r-

..,.

"We did pretty damn p d , ~

lllat 2S ~
t of OIII' PIIOlllc arc new,

lat :sst- Dou Higilibotlia111. "Atlle board.._ I bet we're the beat hauery i.a
tbe ttallon - and I'm DOI OM to laviab
praise."

'"This exercise bu been Ille bell ooe of

tbe year," ap-oed PFC llryoe Bear, a iuaile crewman ud Blacbheq,. "l!-.erybody
had a aood attitude - tbere'a a bucll of
new JUys aJoaa with tbe 'oldtlmen.' and
it wu JU&t sort of 'one-for-all and all-for
one'."
Delaeat
Bear explaiaed thllt beina tlle best ia
important to the "Blacbbecp," and that
llley lab pride ia tlleir DJct.--. "TIiey
a1wa,. put dowa, i.at at the ad ol the
ynar we aiaYI come out the bell," he
Mid. "Weliketbe name."
NOJa1ber'1 r1111t1 problem brinp 1911
IO a dme U ita lall major tralniag C,tCDt,
bat fidtl training ia a --endlna fact ol
Ille for ~ Pro(emocaala. Tllc:re'a IIO
Adi lhlna u ~ Plcnica.

1UIIWOM - Sp4 Rorllll .I- (IOf

end Pvt. 1 Robert Garc:ta. etow away a

IMAKING c.u. - PFC lN Rlgwood of Btry. A, 1/419' FA, can1ea camouflage pole& M the 3rd Pit. ptwpwM lo out.

NO PUCa U<E ~ - Sp4 Me

guard during EJterctM "Carbon Dawn.'

Page 5

Pershing Cable

w1981

....._._
COOi[ OUT -

Pvt. 2 Jamie Menning COOks eggs tor Sgt. Fairley Long and PFC Mike 8atlettO for bnlaklast.

efl) PFC GNg Harrla. PFC Bryon a..

.lssile'a cable.

ello eermee, an Infantryman, ltande

TUG,O'WAR - Sp4 Ronell Jone. (far left). and PFC Orwldo Arilez break down a mobile shelter with the '*II of PIii. 1 Aliin
Lar1tln.