Couple of Paladins in front of my mom's house

[superburban]

I was sitting around, minding my own business in my mother's living room last Saturday when suddenly there arose such a clatter. I sprang to the window to see what was the matter.

OH! There's a couple of self-propelled howitzers parked in front! I grabbed the camera and ran outside to check it out.

The vehicle commander of "Punisher" told me that they were getting ready for a parade. He couldn't care less if I crawled all over the vehicles, taking pictrures. He acted as though he was put out for having to go to the effort of being in the parade!

Anyway. I'm told that they are M109a6 Paladins. Enjoy:

 

[superburban]

Here's the pics:

 

[txdodge43man]

I want one

 

[swbradley1]

I'd like to walk outside and see two of them parked in front of my house.



sw

 

[Jimma]

Cool.

 

[1stSarge]

Holy crap, if I saw that, I would wonder who I made mad now.

 

[Atomic]

Since they had two, did they let you keep one?

 

[Engine5]

Honset Honey, they followed me home. I will feed them and walk them and play with them.....

 

[mckeeranger]

I'd like to walk outside and see two of them parked in front of my house.



sw

I'd be impressed if I just saw one.

 

[wb1895]

Now THAT will keep the dogs out of the yard!!!!!

 

[PorscheTech911]

 

[WPNS421]

I have worked on these beauties and they are great. The best demo I ever saw was staged for future officers going into the Combat Arms but had to decide which branch Infantry, Armour or artillery. Well the infantry demoed theie weapons and fired on a target tank, next came the Leopard tanks and they fired a bunch of rounds (105mm)at the targets very impessive. the last to fire was the M109A3(now Palladin) well this howitzer came smoking down the road pulled onto the firing line, they dropped the legs, unclamped the barrel and prepared to do a direct fire on the target tanks. The howitzer fired (155MM) hit the tank exactly between the turret and body, The turret flipped 20 30 ft in the air and landed upside down, target dead, End of demo. The crew then filed out of the howitzer, took a bow and smirked at the tankers. Excellent show and the Artillery guys didn't let the tankers live it down for a long time.

 

[wreckerman893]

Talk about the ultimate "yard art". HOOAH!!!!!!!

 

[FireFighterHill]

I was woken by those beast many a night in Iraq. Nothing like being woken up at 4am to the sound and feeling of the percussive force as it goes through your body.

Embarrassing to admit but when I first heard them go off I thought we were under attack, after going to concrete bunker near my hooch and finding it empty and realizing no incoming sirens were going off I went back to bed and laid there unable to sleep until they were done.

I talked to the crew and thought it was awesome that they can link them together and fire in such a way that all the round hit the target at once, or in specific patterns.

 

[Ord22]

the engines in them are V8 detroit diesel. the HP is 440. i use to work on them when i was in the army. awesom vehicles!!!

 

[Capt Pat]

Hope they worked some of the bugs out of the firing systems, these are the rehab'ed models that served in Viet Nam. There on a fire mission one night a gun known as "Blood, Sweat and Tears", took the life of its commander and another crewman when while firing manually due to a problem in the electrical system, the breach didn't lock down right, it destroyed the gun killing my best friend and brother in law, Sgt. David Mason Sexton. He's casrept the gun due to the problem, but a fire mission that needed all guns came up because somebody got caught on the wrong side of a line, and rather than allow someone else to do his job, David took her back on the line, knowing it was a 'russian roulette' operation. His son was born that same night. In aletter to his wife a few months before, he told her what the guns name was and explained it this way, "Blood for my Country, Sweat for my gun and Tears for you."
The Army report stated that as a non-fixed round weapon, the unit had gotten a mixed supply of propellant bags, and while the 155 and 8 inch bags are of different size and color, it was the crew's fault for loading an 8 inch propellant bag into a 155 gun. Yeah, like it would fit. I'd not been back from that sh--hole of a country long myself when this happened.
They ARE fine weapons when working, they used to be able to swim (sort of) too, with a fording skirt and tracks for propulsion, but the rehab. eliminated that idea. We've been looking for one for a museum piece here in David's crew and other "Red Legs" honor, but none are available except a couple sitting in a storage yard in Viet Nam left over from the situation there after we left. That can't come home. One could be whats left of his gun too.

 

[Crazyguyla]

I was woken by those beast many a night in Iraq. Nothing like being woken up at 4am to the sound and feeling of the percussive force as it goes through your body.

Embarrassing to admit but when I first heard them go off I thought we were under attack, after going to concrete bunker near my hooch and finding it empty and realizing no incoming sirens were going off I went back to bed and laid there unable to sleep until they were done.

I talked to the crew and thought it was awesome that they can link them together and fire in such a way that all the round hit the target at once, or in specific patterns.

Forget getting woke up at night.. one day during 04-05 on Camp Liberty, the Palidans did a fire mission during lunch. The guns were set up 300 meters behing the DFAC. When the first rounds went out, the DFAC cleared instantly. Since we were in the Arty unit, we knew the sound of the guns. It was funny watching 300+ people head for the doors.. It was good for a laugh. After that incident, they would make an announcement right before the guns were about to fire.

Nothing like sleeping to the sound of artillery

Marcus

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

. He acted as though he was put out for having to go to the effort of being in the parade.

Having been in the military (many years ago), I know how the military tends to steal a LOT of your free time. In addition to your regular job, which often requires you to work overtime for ZERO extra pay, you have your duty shifts where you have to pull 4 to 6 hour watches and extra duty like parades or such.

 

[JDBUCKSAVAGE]

Wowzer

Now that is amazing!! your soo fortunate, dad gum it I'm so jealous!!!

 

[papabear]

Hope they worked some of the bugs out of the firing systems, these are the rehab'ed models that served in Viet Nam. There on a fire mission one night a gun known as "Blood, Sweat and Tears", took the life of its commander and another crewman when while firing manually due to a problem in the electrical system, the breach didn't lock down right, it destroyed the gun killing my best friend and brother in law, Sgt. David Mason Sexton. He's casrept the gun due to the problem, but a fire mission that needed all guns came up because somebody got caught on the wrong side of a line, and rather than allow someone else to do his job, David took her back on the line, knowing it was a 'russian roulette' operation. His son was born that same night. In aletter to his wife a few months before, he told her what the guns name was and explained it this way, "Blood for my Country, Sweat for my gun and Tears for you."
The Army report stated that as a non-fixed round weapon, the unit had gotten a mixed supply of propellant bags, and while the 155 and 8 inch bags are of different size and color, it was the crew's fault for loading an 8 inch propellant bag into a 155 gun. Yeah, like it would fit. I'd not been back from that sh--hole of a country long myself when this happened.
They ARE fine weapons when working, they used to be able to swim (sort of) too, with a fording skirt and tracks for propulsion, but the rehab. eliminated that idea. We've been looking for one for a museum piece here in David's crew and other "Red Legs" honor, but none are available except a couple sitting in a storage yard in Viet Nam left over from the situation there after we left. That can't come home. One could be whats left of his gun too.

Being a 20yr+ Grunt I don't know chit from shinola about arty...except how to call for it...in training only. Also...don't be on the receiving end of it.

Thank you for posting this account of Sgt Sexton's heroic actions. God Bless him and his brave crew.
Also...thank you for your service Capt Pat.