Photo By Maj. Randall Stillinger | Crews from the 4th Battalion of the 133rd Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS), attached to the 71st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard hosted a Family Day on Saturday, June 25, at Fort Hood, Texas. Families, friends, and civilian co-workers and employers were invited to Fort Hood to see their soldier in action and witness a demonstration of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) as the unit is spending its two weeks of annual training running operations, fire missions, and completing their annual proficiency certifications. (U.S. Army Photo by Maj. Randall Stillinger, 36th Infantry Division Public Affairs)
FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES
06.24.2017
Story by Spc. Christina Clardy
36th Infantry Division (TXARNG)
FORT HOOD, TEXAS - Soldiers of the 4th Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment (HIMARS), attached to the 71st Expeditionary Military Intelligence Brigade, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard hosted a Family Day on Saturday, June 25, during their two-week annual training at Fort Hood, Texas.
Families, friends, and civilian co-workers and employers were invited to Fort Hood to see their soldier in action and witness a demonstration of the training they are currently undergoing.
The 4-133rd FAR is specifically designated a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System unit and is spending it's two weeks of annual training running operations, fire missions, and completing their annual proficiency certifications.
"For the past week our crews have been running 24-hour operations and each crew has completed dozens of day and night fire missions," said 2nd Lt. Ross Gilfillan, 2nd Platoon Leader for Battery A, 4-133rd FAR (HIMARS). "There is a lot of precision required for a successful crew, and these crews are truly proficient."
On Saturday, the families and visitors were bussed to the range over-watch tower where they could safely watch the HIMARS demonstration. The battalion set up static displays of the launchers, rocket tubes and the loading systems for the visitors to see, touch and take pictures in.
"Family day gives the soldiers a chance to show their families, friends and employers what they do when they leave home and come to their military jobs here in the National Guard," said Gilfillan. "They can show them how hard they are working, the jobs they are learning and the skills they are perfecting. It also gives the families an opportunity to see the equipment up close and the thrill of seeing the rockets shoot off."
The 4-133rd FAR (HIMARS) gathered small groups of children to give to the command “fire” into the radio to signal the soldiers to launch a rocket. The demonstration was met with cheers and “ooos” from the crowd as they watched the rockets launch in the air leaving plumes of white smoke and a thunderous concussion.
"This is my first time on a HIMARS crew and I've got to tell you -- it's a total blast!" said Private James Moore, a HIMARS crew driver from 2nd Platoon, Btry. A. "My family came out here for Family Day and I hope they think all of this is as cool as I do."
The HIMARS is a light multiple rocket launcher mounted on a medium-sized tactical truck. Each launcher is run by a crew of three personnel and can fire either six 227mm M270 rockets or one MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System surface-to-surface missile. It has a range of approximately 100 miles and a 360 degree firing radius. This HIMARS is an improved upgrade from the launcher pod system originally mounted to Bradley tank frames. This upgrade makes the truck, frame and launcher pod much lighter, which allows the system to be more easily loaded and deployed off of a plane than its tank-track predecessor.