By: Diana Johnsen
djohnsen@kcautv.com
Charlie Battery in Yankton, South Dakota has been serving our country for more than forty years.
Within the last ten years, the battery was activated for deployment at least three different times during "Operation Iraqi Freedom" and lost four of its own soldiers.
Unfortunately, the battery will now combine with Bravo Battery of Salem, South Dakota, creating a change that is bittersweet for its soldiers and their families.
"Charlie Battery is their connection here. We're all still going to be here. It was sad to see that flag roll up for the last time," said Sergeant Brooks Schild of the Charlie Battery.
The change comes because of army downsizing due to the end of the Iraqi war.
Bravo Battery added about 70 more soldiers to Charlie's already 115, which caused an excess of soldiers. Because every battery can only have a set number of soldiers, about 40 soldiers in the new unit will have to be placed elsewhere in the South Dakota National Guard.
"Each soldier is in charge of his career. We help them along the process to find a position and help guide them to where they need to go," said former Company Commander of the Charlie Battery, Captain Joshua Smith.
Besides adding more soldiers, the company will also get a new commander.
He believes now more than ever is a great time for him and his new company to get back and focus on the basics of field artillery.
"We've been deployed as a security force and doing flood duty, and we haven't really been doing a field artillery mission," said Bravo Battery Commander, First Lieutenant Darrin Eichcer. "We want to get back to learning the basics. We just want to get back to the field artillery mission."
