YAKIMA TRAINING CENTER - For most people, firing a cannon for the first time can be scary, and Pfc. Jason L. Austin was no exception. A cannon crewman with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, he took numerous dry runs with a lanyard before thinking he was ready for the real thing. But pulling the lanyard was the easy part.
On his first live fire, Austin didn't add the charge and the pressure of the round to the equation. Nervous and afraid of not pulling hard enough, he pulled the lanyard too hard.
He caused a misfire and toppled back toward the howitzer. After getting the first attempt behind him, Austin was fine.
During his first year as a cannon crewman, making small mistakes in the beginning has helped him understand the fundamentals of his job. He has found a job that excites him one round at a time.
He had planned to enlist right after high school, but his mother disuaded him. On his own later with a wife and children, he finally became a Soldier. Though cannon crewmember wasn't Austin's first choice, now that Austin has experienced the excitement of firing artillery rounds, he's glad he chose this career path."It's one thing to say I work on the cannon; it's another thing to say I actually pull the lanyard to fire the round," Austin said. "Every round is an adrenaline rush for the simple fact that you want to hear that steel on steel. It's something you work hard at and it gets your blood rushing. Every round is a test of your ability and it keeps your heart rate up." Austin has learned in the past year that teamwork is necessary to successfully fire a howitzer. The closer the team, the more effective it is as a crew.
"Everyone's job is important," he said. "The slightest detail that could throw us off, could throw the whole thing apart, and we might not be firing accurately."
Austin has found that he belongs to a close-knit crew that functions like a family.
"For the most part we are like brothers," he said. "We have our section chief who looks over us and takes care of us, then we have our section sergeant who looks after us also. We have our roles in our Family and we all get along, we blend and bond well."
Having a good NCO helps Soldiers flourish into the leaders of the future, he said. "They tested me and I can say I've grown a lot (and) ... I've learned a lot," Austin said. "That actually brought me to where I am now."
Finding the confidence to be a successful cannon crewmember wasn't something Austin found on his own. He said the support of his Family, battle buddies and leaders have guided him in the right direction and taught him patience.
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