Saturday, May 28, 2022

Reflecting on Service

I was US Army Airborne Field Artillery - Target Acquisition. I never was in combat, so I don't think of myself as a veteran, but I do think of myself as a soldier. 

My MOS (17C) was eliminated in the early 90s, by drones. I was a 17C1P X3, for those that really want to know. So, I looked up 13F the closest thing I could come up with. I wasn't surprised what had changed. I was surprised at how similar my old MOS is to what I do for a living now.

I was in a position where the knowledge I had required:

  • being the middleman between major areas: Infantry, Artillery, and other resources. 
  • keeping an eye on the big picture: battlefield awareness
  • directly communicating valuable information to decision makers
  • determining where to put big expensive stuff
The position also was high stakes:
  • very small tolerance for margin of error
  • need for strict adherence to protocols
  • ability to make difficult calls under pressure
The above is strangely similar to the needs of ERP systems. A few word changes like infantry and artillery for HR and finance and you have just about the same upper-level job description.

13F Fire Support Specialist (Forward Observer)

Directs artillery fire. See Army MOS 13F | MOSDb.

17C Target Acquisition Specialist

Used sound to triangulate the location of enemy artillery to provide counterfire information. If you want a better description, please read: Army MOS 17C | MOSDb.

Breaking down my MOS:
17C - Field Artillery Target Acquisition Specialist
1P    - Parachutist
X3   - TACFire


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Reflecting on Service

I was US Army Airborne Field Artillery - Target Acquisition. I never was in combat, so I don't think of myself as a veteran, but I do th...