Mortar mission

Soldiers Magazine, Dec, 2004 by Jeremy A. Clawson

WATCHING his team place mortar-aiming stakes, SPC Donald King entered grid coordinates into an M23 ballistic computer, readying to deploy his team's 60mm mortar. The weapon would cover troops as they moved into action recently during Operation Dragon Tree.

On this mission through the Argandab Valley in south-central Afghanistan, Soldiers of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, moved to search a village. King and his team positioned themselves two kilometers away to watch areas on both sides of the objective and the ridgeline in the distance.

The mortar team's job is to provide indirect fire support to units as they move across the battlefield.

SPC Matthew Root, the mortar team's gunner, said the mortar's presence is a deterrent to enemy forces. "The enemy knows when mortars are providing cover for Soldiers, and they think twice before trying anything," he said.

"I've never been on the receiving end of mortar barrage, but the Taliban fighters probably have and it's probably not fun," King said.

It's not much fun for the mortar team members, either. Each Soldier moving through the mountainous terrain is laden with equipment, weapons and ammunition.

The gunner usually carries the mortar tube, bipod, sight unit, and usually two or three mortar rounds, Root said. The assistant gunner carries the mortar's base plate, while more five-pound rounds are divided among the line company fire teams.

The team carries four types of rounds--high-explosive, illumination, infrared-illumination and white-phosphorous.

The team has participated in numerous combat missions during the war on terror, and they stand ready to strike--from a distance.

Once the team members have set up the mortar, they can respond with supporting fire within seconds of receiving a mission. Ground troops call for fire adjustments, and within three rounds the team can lay a barrage on the target.

SGT Jeremy A. Clawson is with the 105th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment.