FORT PICKETT -- Fighting continued in the Marcalan countryside yesterday, as units from 1/116th and 3/116th continued their push toward the 80th Airborne Division’s position at Fort Pickett. Providing essential air defense with Stinger weapons were soldiers from 3/111th Air Defense Artillery in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Soldiers from 3/111 ADA prepare to fire on approaching aircraft.

The air defense battalion has been working with the 116th Infantry since both units were inserted in a landing operation on the northern end of Marcala two days ago. Once on the ground , the Stinger crews maneuver with the unit to which they are assigned. They work in two-man teams with at least four teams assigned to each mission.

"Since our arrival on the island, the teams have been defending against sporadic air attacks by the Marcalan forces," said Maj. Douglas Gagnon, battalion executive officer. "Resistance so far has been some fixed wing and some rotary wing aircra ft, but we are planning for any contingency. We have people all over the countryside on different missions supporting the maneuver elements and the task force, and are providing air defense coverage to the airfield, fuel depots, supply depots and any ot her resources critical to our efforts. We are the ADA ‘umbrella of protection’ for these units."

The Stinger weapons are equipped with electronic devices that permit crews to identify aircraft. Capt. Alex Bengtson, Battery C commander, explained that both military and civilian aircraft carry boxes that contain encrypted information which is d ecoded by the Stinger weapons. From this information, crews can identify the aircraft as known or unknown, depending on whether or not information is received. With unknowns, the teams use standard operating procedures to identify the craft by sight and make the determination to fire.

"The Stinger weapon contains an infrared, heat-seeking missle, so it’s going to go right to the engine or exhaust system and cripple the aircraft," said Bengtson.