The Gun Crews at Fontaine

Six 105mm howitzers of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry sat on FSB Fontaine, and Jim Garvin remembered them as the firebase's quickest friends. From the moment an element in the field called for cover fire to the moment rounds were on the deck, he recalled, the battery never took longer than five minutes. When the Navy's heavier 8-inch guns were within range their computers could make finer adjustments, but the 105 crews assigned to the battalion were always ready and willing.

Early in his tour, after a long and difficult mission, Garvin went over to a gun crew simply to thank them. The response, with a large smile, stayed with him:

"Call us any time. It's boring on the fire base, and when you call for a fire mission it gives us something to do. It is what we trained for and we are glad to do it."