From: Tim Eby

I remember some rudimentary familiarization for controlling artillery, but I didn't use it for many months and forgot the vocabulary. So when the one solitary opportunity came up to direct some BIG guns into Laos (175s?) I just talked to them like the simple farm boy I was, and still am. I can't remember any of the details, but I knew where the guns were coming from and where the target was, so I just said things like, "make it go farther", and "whoa, that's too far". It more or less worked, and I remember the arty guys on the other end of the conversation seemed to enjoy it. I'm sure the Navy would have not been able to accomodate a farm boy aiming their guns for them!

Capt Skinny, I think we've just figured out who the FAC was in this story from the cd.
Cheers, Jim

In mid-July 1970 when FSB Ripcord was under siege, I monitored an exchange between our FAC (Bilk 43) and the commanding officer of B/2-319 Artillery (our 105mm direct support battery on the base). The FAC had just expended a set of fast-movers on a .51 cal gun position in a cave down low on a small ridge -with no apparent effect, as green tracers kept popping past the his cockpit. In frustration, he called the TOC and asked if there was any way to shoot the target with artillery. Quicker than you can say "this ol' Army is alllright" the battery commander had a 105mm moved to the log pad, propped up the trails on ammo boxes, and pointed the snout down the mountain side toward the offending North Vietnamese machine gunners. He fired a round for the FAC to adjust--shot, out--and here is the abridged version of what happened.

FAC: That's good, that's good. Move it right about 100 yards and down about 50.
The battery CO didn't bat an eye that the FAC didn't know the correct Army terminology for adjusting fire. A few seconds later another 105 round slammed into the jungle. Shot, out.
FAC: That's close, really close. Adjust right 25 yards and drop 10 yards.
Hell, the closest change the arty make on adjustments is 25 meters x 25 meters. The CO didn't hesitate, and another 105 round burst near the enemy position. Shot, out.
FAC: [Very excited voice now.] We're really close. Right 12 feet and drop 2 feet.
Arty CO: Roger, wait ... shot, out.
FAC: [Jumping up and down in his cockpit.] You got 'em! Right into the mouth of the cave. Nothing but smoke and flame coming out. You got 'em!
Now, how the heck can you put an adjustment of right 12 feet, drop 2 feet on a 105 howitzer propped up on ammo boxes, and which isn't even surveyed in?
 Sometime later, after the siege ended and my redleg friend recovered from wounds and returned to duty, I met him in the rear during a standdown period and asked him the question.
His reply: "Just piss down the bore and lean against the tube."