Cannon Crew Member

“You'll be a cannon crewmember on Army 105mm and 155mm howitzers — loading, aiming, and firing the systems that provide indirect fire support to ground forces. Artillery crew duty is physically demanding and technically precise: propellant charge selection, deflection and elevation calculations, ammunition handling, and the tight crew coordination that turns a complex weapons system into effective fires. The adrenaline of a fire mission is real, and the physical fitness standards that artillery develops are yours to keep.”

If you are reading this thinking it is different from 13B, it is not different enough to matter for this description. You are a cannon crewmember. You will serve artillery. The howitzer — M777, M109A6 Paladin, whatever platform your unit has — is your life. You will do PMCS on it in the dark. You will move it in the mud. You will fire it until your ears decide to pursue other opportunities. The gun line is loud in a way that hearing protection only partially addresses, and the Army's institutional memory on hearing conservation is a PowerPoint that someone made in 2009. You will carry propellant, projectiles, and fuzes and develop opinions about each. The physical demand is real and consistent. Your back will keep a detailed log. The fraternity of cannon cockers is genuine and the pride is earned — artillery is a complex, dangerous weapon system and operating it safely and effectively is a legitimate skill. The civilian resume challenge is that 'I loaded and fired artillery' requires translation. It translates. Just not obviously.