King of the Road

A gun truck of Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery Regiment, blocks a major road intersection as cargo trucks roll past during a convoy escort mission in southern Iraq. Master Sgt. Lek Mateo Artillery has found a new role in irregular warfare as practised in Iraq: The field artillery is commonly known as �the king of battle,� but artillerymen of Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 13th Field Artillery are more like �kings of the road� as they cruise down the highways of Iraq in heavily armed Humvees, protecting supply convoys from insurgent attacks. Members of the multiple launch rocket system, or MLRS unit which is based at Fort Sill, Okla., and assigned to the 56th Brigade Combat Team of the Texas Army National Guard's 36th Infantry Division -- knew in advance that they were not going to be performing the field artillery mission before they deployed to Iraq, and have learned to adapt to a new and challenging mission.