![]() The second time she completed the task in 8 minutes and 30 seconds. That, she admitted, hurt, and slowed her down. The first time she went for the time, she dropped a round on her foot. I wanted to do it again and again and again," Diaz said.įor a woman entering the world of the 13B-canon crewman-the biggest challenge is whether or not she can heft the 155mm rounds of the Paladin or the 105mm rounds fired by the M-119A2 cannons employed by the 1-258th, Diaz admitted.Īt advanced training she was required to load and unload a round 15 times in 15 minutes, Diaz said. "I won't lie, it was a little scary in the beginning. "I like that rush you get when you pull the string," she said referring to the lanyard which fires the cannon. The unit also has two female artillery lieutenants.ĭiaz made it through basic training with flying colors, serving as platoon guide or student platoon leader for most of the cycle and scoring 280 out of 300 points on her physical fitness test.Īt Advanced Individual Training she fell in love with the 155mm M109 Paladins she was trained on and decided that field artillery was the right branch for her. "So, having a female on the gun line is a familiar sight in this battalion." Aleisha Henry, who joined the unit in 2008 as a Field Artillery Surveyor. "We have already had an enlisted female in our unit for quite some time," Mehling said, referring to Sgt. All the while they are expected to maintain the standards of precision expected of the field artillery," he added.īut having women near the big guns is nothing new for his battalion, Mehling added. "The Soldiers eat and sleep in between fire missions, in austere conditions, while maintaining security for their position. ![]() "These Soldiers are required to be ready to execute a fire mission with little to no notice, 24 hours a day." "The duties of a 13B are rigorous to say the least," said Lt. " I was pretty surprised."īut, he added, "You could tell she was mentally tough and I thought she could handle it and she did." "She saw that as a huge challenge, to want to be part of the first wave of females in the combat arms,’ Swartz said. "I wanted to do something that was not typical for females," Diaz explained. " They had just opened up this combat position to females and I said, jokingly, that this was open to females. "When I sat down with her I went over the MOS that she was qualified for, "Swartz said. Then Sgt 1st Class Lewis Swartz told her that women could join the field artillery and serve as a cannon crew member. ![]() I am not going to do that in the Army," she explained. "I would not have done that for my regular job. But, she added, that kind of desk work was not for her. When she was enlisting, her recruiter talked to her about being a cook, or a personnel clerk, or other administrative work, based on her degree from John Jay College, Diaz said. Jelease Santiago, has enlisted to become a 13B. Since then, a second female Soldier, Spc. The West Hempstead, New York, resident found it by becoming the first woman in the New York Army National Guard to earn military occupational specialty 13B, a cannon crewman, and join the 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery. Ashley Diaz enlisted in the New York Army National Guard in December 2015, she was looking for a physical, athletic job. She really wants to be a New York City cop someday. ![]() She coaches youth volleyball and street hockey for a living. Ashley Diaz likes doing physical things. Granted authority to reorganize as Battery B, Field Artillery, Rhode Island National Guard, May 28, 1921, it was extended Federal recognition June 16, 1921, and redesignated Battery B, 103rd Field Artillery, Rhode Island National Guard, November 25, 1921.JAMAICA, QUEENS, N.Y. It was demobilized at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, April 29, 1919. Stationed at Camp Curtis Guild, Boxford, Massachusetts, it became Battery B, 103rd Field Artillery, 26th Division, A. Called into Federal service for the World War on July 25, 1917, it was drafted into the U.S. Soldiers in this unit are trained as cannon crew members (MOS 13B).īattery B, 103rd Field Artillery, traces its past history to Company B, First Battalion of Field Artillery, Rhode Island Militia, which was organized May 1, 1875, and disbanded May 28, 1879.Īgain organized on June 15, 1917, as Battery B, it formed part of the First Separate Battalion, Rhode Island Field Artillery, National Guard. The unit is a towed howitzer firing battery and is equipped with the M-198 cannon. The mission of Alpha Battery, 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery, is to destroy, neutralize, or suppress the enemy by cannon fire and help integrate all fire support assets into combined arms operations.ī Battery, 1st Battalion, 103d Field Artillery, Rhode Island Army National Guard, is located at the North Smithfield Armory, North Smithfield, RI. B Battery - 1st Battalion, 103rd Field Artillery
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