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The Deputy Fire Support Officer (Deputy FSO) for 3rd Brigade 82nd Airborne Division, 2nd Lt. Scott Schoop, is working to ensure paratroopers from the 1st Battalion 319th Field Artillery Regiment, maintain their skills.

Shoop has ‘paved the road’ for a new artillery range set to be located outside of Fallujah, Iraq. The range will be multifaceted for those paratroopers currently stationed at Forward Operating Base St. Mere as well as for the Marines who are tentatively scheduled to them early next year.

Shoop came up with the idea for the range after the brigade moved paratroopers and equipment onto the base. Unfortunately, a field artillery training range had yet to be established by the units who had preceded them.

The 319th needed to register its guns, so that if the need should arise, they could accurately be used in combat. An impact area was selected as a site they could use to register their guns. However, one problem still remained; - there were no targets on the site.

Paratroopers began the process of moving targets onto the sight. Wrecked vehicles from an Iraqi military scrap yard were used. After the vehicles were positioned and the area was vacated, looters from the community stole most of the pieces from the automobiles. Effectively, targets were eliminated before the field artillery unit could use them.

Soldiers from the 1st Infantry Division hook-up a former Iraqi Army tank to their M88 as Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne pull security. The two groups work together to destroy Iraqi tanks. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Justin A. Carmack, 350th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

During the major military push toward Baghdad, Coalition forces impounded several T-72 Tanks from the Iraqi Army. The tanks were stored at St. Mere. Shoop collaborated with the 855th Military Police Company, A Company, 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division to move some of these tanks into the impact area.

Once the tanks were moved members of the 307th Engineer Battalion would destroy specific components inside the tanks. By only destroying specific pieces of equipment the tanks would appear as more realistic targets.


Staff Sgt. Steven Page of the 307th Engineer Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division carefully cuts C-4, a powerful explosive used in the destruction of Iraqi tanks. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Justin A. Carmack, 350th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
“We wanted to set-up a range that was as realistic as possible,” said Shoop. “So we are moving the tanks so they represent a four tank convoy and a four tank assembly area.”

The range is still under construction. Four tanks have been moved into position to represent the convoy, but the assembly area has yet to be created. The creation of the range is more difficult than one may think.

“One of the most challenging parts has been to free-up the M-88,” added Shoop. “They have a real world mission. They go out and retrieve tanks that breakdown. On the other hand this mission is only conducted in our spare time.”

Once the tanks arrive at the impact area, paratroopers from the 307th place C4, a powerful explosive, onto specific areas of the tank so that their weapon systems may not be salvaged and used again.

“We place the C4 on the engine block, any communication equipment and the weapon systems,” said Sgt. Paul Timavave of the 307th. “Our priority is to destroy things that can be used against Coalition forces, yet leave the tank in tact so that it can still be used as a target.

Though the project was designed to benefit the field artillery unit, many soldiers will benefit from the project. The range will also be available for training soldiers on weapons such as AT-4s, MK-19s and M249 Squad Automatic Weapons (SAWs).

“It will not only be beneficial for our paratroopers,” explained Shoop. “Any Marines or soldiers that come here after the 82nd leaves will undoubtedly benefit from this range, too.”

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