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Belli Dura Despicio
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Join Date: 01-07-06
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(Emphasis added) :
Quote:
The Silent Witness
by Chief Warrant Officer Three (Retired) Thomas Curran
Field Artillery, August 1989
At the entrance to I-See-O Hall, home of the Target Acquisition Department, part of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, there is an impressive collection of mementos. They mark some important event or accomplishment that involved the Department's members. The entrance has trophies that honor athletes and plaques that recognize outstanding instruction. There are gifts from foreign students that praise the various divisions that taught them. But in one corner of this hallway is a guidon of the Field Artillery School Target Acquisition Battery (FASTAB) from 1983. It stands as a reminder of Field Artillerymen who fell in combat.
Beirut
On 28 July 1983, the FASTAB guidon was folded and packed along with other equipment the Battery would need in Beirut, Lebanon. There was an air of excitement as each soldier of the advance party realized he would be putting into practice the skills he had been teaching. Someone once said, "Those who can't do, teach." These soldiers were about to prove that statement wrong.
On 4 August 1983 when the main body of the Battery arrived in Beirut, the guidon was already flying over the operations area. The position and azimuth determining system (PADS) section had surveyed two locations for AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder weapon-locating radars emplaced on the north and south boundaries of the Beirut International Airport.
The full complement of 33 soldiers was ready to support the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit, Detachment Q, and the Multinational Peacekeeping Force. That support consisted of locating hostile rocket, artillery and mortar positions and sending those locations to the Marine Artillery for counterfire.
The FASTAB Team
From 4 August to 20 November 1983, the FASTAB guidon was a silent witness to an impressive display of military interoperability. By using the Firefinder's speed, accuracy and ability to interface directly with the counterfire units, the Battery located more than 1,000 targets per day and forwarded them to the target center at the Marine Barracks. Four of the FASTAB members lived at the barracks to support the Marines.
Chief Warrant Officer Three Richard C. Ortiz : He lived at the barracks and was the only Marine member of FASTAB, which made him one of the most valuable members of the unit. With his technical expertise in Firefinder and his understanding of the Marine way of doing things, the Battery depended on him to mold the two services into one organization.
Chief Ortiz was 37 years old, born and raised in New York City, a combat Marine in Vietnam and an 18-year veteran of the Corps. As a target processing officer in the targeting center, he displayed all the best traits of a technically and tactically displayed all the best traits of a technically and tactically proficient leader. Chief Ortiz not only recommended the most opportune targets to shoot counterfire missions against, but he also meticulously evaluated all other targets for intelligence. With the skill of a tactician and the experience of a technician, CWO Ortiz kept the situation map in perfect order.
Sergeant First Class James G. Yarber :
Designated FASTAB's acting First Sergeant, he would have taken offense at the term "acting." He was the first sergeant. At 37, he was a veteran of three to tours in Vietnam and 19 years in the Army. He took great pride in being an NCO and could blend just the right amount of discipline and compassion when dealing with his soldiers.
As the first sergeant, he took the time to ensure his soldiers got what they needed. From getting extra rations to finding sturdy building materials to harden the radar positions, Sergeant First Class Yarber could be counted on to produce. As an expert radar operator, he would sit in for a crew member on his daily inspections of the two sites. Always setting the example, he won the respect and admiration of the soldiers he led.
Specialist Fifth Class Daniel S. Kluck :
At 27, he was the senior direct support radar repairman (MOS 26BX5) for FASTAB. His job required him to stay close to the radar and work with the operators and organizational repairmen. A welcome addition to the radar crew, he gave the others a sense of security that the system wouldn't develop problems while he was there, - contractor engineers often asked his opinion on troubleshooting techniques. Specialist Fifth Class Kluck often visited Navy technicians at the Marine barracks to "talk shop" or borrow test equipement.
Specialist Fourth Class Marcus E. Coleman :
He arrived with the FASTAB as a radio operator. In only a few days, he proved he was a target processing expert. At 19, he was the youngest member of the unit, having been in the Army for less than a year.
A quiet person coming from a large family of nine brothers and sisters, he found it easy to live in close quarters. And because he volunteered to work in the target center during his off-duty hours, he lived in the Marine barracks.
The Silent Vigil
On the morning of 23 October 1983, the FASTAB guidon witnessed a truck loaded with explosives speed into the Marine Headquarters compound. Driven by a suicidal terrorist, the truck rammed into the barracks and exploded, reducing the building to fire and rubble. The guidon maintained its vigil of the frantic activities to free the wounded and locate the dead from the rubble that once was the living and working area for hundreds of people. It then flew silently as America mourned her servicemen.
On 20 November 1983, the remained of the FASTAB folded and packed the guidon away with other equipement for the trip back to Fort Sill. The guidon was being "relieved" by one of its counterparts, the guidon of the Army Target Acquisition Battery (ARTAB).
A Constant Reminder
Today, the FASTAB guidon's history is noted by a brass plaque that lists the names of the soldiers who met the challenge and set the standard. In its quiet corner, it honors these fine men who lost their lives.
The guidon reminds us of all it saw, — the greatest of sacrifices given by the best we had — all Field Artillerymen, willing and able.
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__________________
 "Venceréis, pero no convenceréis" (Miguel de Unamuno)
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God" (Matthew 5:9)
Last edited by Shipwreck : 03-24-2008 at 15:24 PM.
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