Yep...some of these take a while to determine if they are 4/1 jokes or real. This one has been removed from their account, but the US Army Fort Sill Facebook account posted this picture and caption in 2019...
FORT SILL, Okla., -- Not long ago, the Army announced its decision to establishing an effort to modernize the force. As part of that modernization design, leaders at Fort Sill began researching and developing new methods to create dominance over near-peer threats. At the same time, a new weapon emerged pitting field artillery against air defense artillery as to who would be able to use the weapon first.
"We have on Fort Sill a tar pit and occasionally things from as far back as the Permian Age, which is about 280 million years ago, will make its way to the surface," said Col. David Stewart, chief of staff for the Fort Sill and the Fires Center of Excellence. "Not long ago, this orb of an item came to the surface. It sounds crazy, but that orb was an egg."
Further research was inconclusive on what kind of egg it was, however, the home of FIRES was not deterred. Maj. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, the commander of Fort Sill and the Fires Center of Excellence, took the orb to Soldiers engaging in what was formerly called Red Leg War (a culminating event for future field artillery Soldiers).
"We knew the egg needed to be heated up," said Shoffner. "So we placed it in the impact area, aimed all of our M777 Howitzers and HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System), and let them rip. That's a lot of heat for one little egg.
As the dust settled and range fires were put out, forward observers noticed in place of an egg was a small, winged lizard shape.
"It was a dragon," said Shoffner. "I KNEW it would be a dragon."
That was six months ago. Today that dragon, named Gimler by Soldiers (an adaptation of the acronym GMLR which stands for Guided Multiple Launched Rocket [system]) is trained to fly low, identify enemy targets and fire on command. Her ability to maintain a constant stream of fire in addition to an almost unlimited amount of fire power, makes Gimler an asset to the artillery community.
"What's great about Gimler is that she's fiercely loyal and will destroy any enemy," said Shoffner. "I'd heard about another commander who used to have three dragons. The two she has left work well on the battlefield, which is great, but Gimler is more than a weapon. She's very friendly and loves her Soldiers, and they love her. I would just as easily find her training in their field as I would find her with the half section getting her belly rubbed. Sometimes, she behaves better than the horses."
While Gimler's future seems to be developing well, there is an ongoing argument between the two FIRES branches, field artillery and air defense artillery.
"Obviously Gimler belongs in the field artillery," said Lt. Col. Damon Wells, with the commander's planning group. "She was literally birthed from a HIMARS. The rocket is the mother of this dragon."
But not everyone agrees.
"Gimler completely embodies what air defense artillery is," said Capt. Cassandra Steiner, also with the commander's planning group. "She can battle things on the ground, yes, but her ability to fight our enemies in the air is what makes her most definitely ADA. Also, she ate the Oozlefinch, so we need a new mascot."
"ROGER - OUT"
