Got a wild idea? We build for service members — not the brass, not shareholders. If it's good, it ships.
Suggest a Feature →Indirect Fire Infantryman
Operates mortars and associated fire control equipment to provide indirect fire support for infantry units. Serves as a member of a mortar squad, section, or platoon.
“As an Indirect Fire Infantryman, you'll operate advanced mortar systems to deliver precision fire support. You'll master ballistic calculations, coordinate combined arms operations, and develop analytical skills valued in defense contracting and engineering fields.”
You're an 11B who carries a tube instead of extra ammo, and both sides will remind you of this constantly. The infantry doesn't fully claim you. The artillery doesn't even know you exist. You'll hump a baseplate up a mountain that Google Maps says is a 'gentle slope' and call it 'light training.' Your 'precision ballistics' means hanging rounds in freezing rain at 0200 while some butter bar on the radio keeps changing the fire mission like he's adjusting his fantasy football lineup. When it works — when you drop rounds danger close and the grunts on the ground radio back with nothing but heavy breathing and gratitude — there is no better sound on earth. You'll hear 'hang it, fire' in your sleep for the rest of your life. You'll miss it.
MOS Intel
- 1Learn the FDC (Fire Direction Center) side as soon as possible. FDC soldiers are the brains of the mortar section and it makes you indispensable and promotable.
- 2Volunteer for Ranger School — the tab carries the same weight it does for 11Bs and separates you from the pack.
- 3Protect your hearing religiously. Mortar systems are louder than most people realize and tinnitus is nearly universal among mortarmen.
The recruiter will lump you in with infantry and that's technically correct — you are an infantryman. What they won't explain is that 11C is the forgotten middle child of the infantry world. You carry heavier loads than riflemen, do more math than anyone expects, and when there's no mortar training happening, you get pulled for every detail and working party on the FOB. The upside: mortar crews are tight-knit teams with a real sense of ownership over their weapon system, and a well-run mortar section is genuinely devastating. The downside: promotion is just as glacially slow as 11B, the physical toll is arguably worse because of the loads, and the civilian translation is essentially nonexistent unless you pivot to something else. If you love indirect fire and want to be infantry, it's a rewarding MOS — just go in knowing the costs.
What this actually is in the real world
Your skills translate. Here's what civilian employers call this job — and what they pay.
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
Strong matchSecurity Guards and Gambling Surveillance Officers
Related fieldEmergency Management Directors
StretchSalary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, retrieved Feb 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience.
Write a Review