By Sgt. 1st Class Christina Bhatti
2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq - The Soldiers from Battery B, "Banditos," 2nd Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, "Warrior," 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii made history Jan. 2, when they were the first Army unit to fire the 155mm M777A2 Light Weight Howitzer into the night sky over Baghdad.

"I'm proud to be part of this," said San German, Puerto Rico native1st Sgt. Ramon Malave, Battery B first sergeant. "My Soldiers are good and they want to fire this system out here."

The "Banditos" were the first Army unit to receive this cannon system and have trained for 15 months to perfect their skills.

To train, the Soldiers went through rigorous hands on training, crew battle drills and a live-fire exercise at the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island of Hawaii, said Malave.

he main mission of the battalion here is the Base Defense Operations Center. "We are responsible for defending and securing Camp Taji for all Soldiers that live here," said Honolulu Hawaii native Lt. Col. Joe Gleichenhaus, 2nd Bn.,11th FA Regt. commander.  In addition to the BDOC mission, the Soldiers are prepared to accomplish much more during the course of their deployment.

 "One of the highlights of this unit is that they not only trained as a field artillery battalion, but have been focusing on being a battlespace owner; a maneuver unit. The versatility of these Soldiers is demonstrated here. They are fired up and are definitely disciplined to switch between their artillery and maneuver missions," said Gleichenhaus.

For Newport N.H. Spc. Michael Cunningham, number 1 man for the cannon crew, Battery B, 2nd Bn.,11th FA Regt., the first firing of the system was extremely important. "The calibration of this system ensures that other units can count on us to be on time and on target," he said.

Being on time and on target is easily achieved with this cannon system. The M777A2 is able to use a Global Positioning System -guided round. The Excalibur round allows for a coordinate to be directly imputed.

Once fired the coordinates ensure the round will get to the target where the grid was put in, said Malave.

After clearing the area, the first round was fired, and the shockwave shook the earth. But it was barely felt amidst the excitement of cheering Soldiers. The cheering grew even louder when confirmation came in that the target was hit.

"We train a lot so when we go live it's exciting," said Olympia Washington native Pfc. Tyler Hughes, Battery B, 2nd Bn.,11th FA Regt.
Hughes, who assists in ramming the round and checking the bore, said he felt "pretty good and excited" to be apart of this historical event.

"To be apart of the first rounds shot downrange is great," he said. "It is something I can definitely tell my children and grandchildren."