FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — Tuesday begins 17 days straight of rocket and artillery live-firing at Fort Liberty — with the typical rattling, shaking and loud booms heard and felt all around the post.
Fort Liberty’s 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Marines have exercises planned until Oct. 27 firing M777 Howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System — known as HIMARS.
In areas near what is formerly known as Fort Bragg, including parts of Moore County, blasts and rumbling can be felt. Officials called it “the booming sound of freedom.”
Howitzer and mobile rockets “can be associated with loud explosions and reverberations upon detonation,” Fort Liberty officials said in a news release.
HIMARS are unique because they are mounted on a truck and can be delivered by plane to any battlefield. The unit fires rockets that typically have a range of 9.3 to 57 miles.
There are at least 20 HIMARS units in Ukraine — while Israel has developed their own system.
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps artillery units are involved in the live firing.
The 10th Marines Field Artillery Regiment will conduct their semi-annual field artillery section certifications, command post exercise and live fire training on Fort Liberty until Oct. 25.
During the same period, field artillery units from the 82nd Airborne Division will conduct live fire training from Oct. 11 to 27, “resulting in additional loud explosions and reverberations,” officials said.
In the past, HIMARS artillery has been fired on the Sicely range at Fort Liberty. It’s not clear which ranges will be used this month.
Most live firing will be limited between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to noon on Sundays. But there will still be live artillery firing at night.
