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Frontline

Oklahoma National Guard Unit Carries on Family Tradition

Table of Contents

  1. A Desert Storm Legacy
  2. The First Fire Mission in Afghanistan
  3. The Family Connection
  4. A True Band of Brothers

LAWTON, Okla. — More than 20 years ago, their fathers left their civilian jobs and put on their military uniforms to help defeat Saddam Hussein’s Iraqi Republican Guard. A couple weeks ago, the young men of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Fires Brigade, Oklahoma Army National Guard, carried on the family tradition — firing rockets in Afghanistan against insurgent positions.

A Desert Storm Legacy

In late 1990, 429 Citizen-Soldiers left Oklahoma for the first Gulf War. The 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment performed so well that General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. wrote in an article published in May 1991: “They (Reserve Component Artillery Units) are part of the ground attack, with the Oklahomans achieving the highest rate of fire in Third Army.”

In all, the battalion fired 903 rockets and traveled hundreds of kilometers in support of VII Corps during offensive operations that helped lead to an overwhelming U.S. victory. The soldiers came home quietly but were recognized as heroes.

Since 9/11, the 158th has deployed thousands of soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq — but none of those deployments had the artillerymen firing rockets. They were all security and convoy support missions. That changed on October 14, 2013, when Battery A deployed to Afghanistan to support Regional Command (South) with a field artillery mission.

The First Fire Mission in Afghanistan

The soldiers of Battery A were glad to be deploying with the mission they had trained to do, but for the first few months they found themselves once again conducting personal security details, route convoy clearance, and entry control point operations. Even though their High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers were set up and ready to fire, they didn’t receive a single fire mission for more than eight weeks.

On January 16, that all changed. Battery A’s 1st Fire Platoon launched two rockets on enemy targets in support of Combined Task Force Duke. The rockets destroyed an enemy communications repeater used to support insurgent operations against coalition forces.

The launcher crew included gunner Spc. Joshua Hale, of Chickasha, Okla.; driver Staff Sgt. Steven Stanley, of Carnegie, Okla.; and launcher chief Sgt. Matthew Schoolfield, of Ninnekah, Okla.

The Family Connection

For Hale and Schoolfield, this mission has special meaning — it carries on a tradition started by their fathers during Operation Desert Storm.

Hale is the son of Spc. Chad Hale, formerly of Battery B. Schoolfield is the son of Sgt. Richard Schoolfield, formerly of Battery C. Both fathers deployed with the 158th Field Artillery during Operation Desert Storm and fired rockets from their Multiple Launch Rocket Systems.

Now, more than two decades later, their sons serve in the same battalion — and have fired rockets in combat in a different war, on a different continent, carrying forward the legacy of service that began in the sands of Kuwait and Iraq.

A True Band of Brothers

“The fact that we have soldiers providing fire support in combat in the same battalion that their fathers served with in combat speaks volumes about who we are as the Guard,” said Col. Mike Chase, commander of the 45th Fires Brigade headquartered in Mustang, Okla.

“Many units can metaphorically claim to be ‘family’ or a ‘Band of Brothers’, but as in this case, it’s factual.”

For these men, their efforts in defense of our country will forever be linked through the history of the Oklahoma National Guard, the 45th Fires Brigade, and the 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment. The unit is expected to return home later in 2014, carrying with them not just their own service records, but the continuation of a family and community legacy that spans generations.

The 158th’s story is, in many ways, a microcosm of the National Guard experience: citizen-soldiers who balance civilian careers and family life with the readiness to deploy whenever the nation calls. When sons follow fathers into the same unit, that tradition of service takes on a meaning that transcends any single conflict or generation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Battery A, 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment?

Battery A is part of the 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery Regiment, 45th Fires Brigade, Oklahoma Army National Guard, headquartered in Lawton, Oklahoma. The unit is equipped with the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a precision rocket artillery platform capable of delivering munitions at long range.

The 158th Field Artillery Regiment has a storied history in Oklahoma. During Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991, the unit was lauded by General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. for achieving the highest rate of fire in Third Army, firing 903 rockets and earning a reputation as one of the top artillery units in the coalition force.

What were the circumstances of the first fire mission in Afghanistan?

Battery A deployed to Afghanistan in October 2013 to support Regional Command (South) with a field artillery mission — the first such mission for the 158th in Afghanistan since the wars began. Despite having their HIMARS launchers set up and ready, the unit spent more than eight weeks without receiving a single fire mission, conducting security details and convoy operations instead.

On January 16, 2014, that changed. The 1st Fire Platoon launched two rockets against an enemy communications repeater used to support insurgent operations against coalition forces, destroying it in support of Combined Task Force Duke. It was the unit's first combat fire mission since Desert Storm more than two decades earlier.

Who were Spc. Joshua Hale and Sgt. Matthew Schoolfield?

Spc. Joshua Hale, of Chickasha, Oklahoma, served as the gunner on the HIMARS launcher that fired the mission. Sgt. Matthew Schoolfield, of Ninnekah, Oklahoma, served as the launcher chief. Staff Sgt. Steven Stanley, of Carnegie, Oklahoma, was the driver. Together, this crew carried out the historic first fire mission.

What made their service extraordinary was the family connection: Hale's father, Spc. Chad Hale, had served in Battery B during Desert Storm. Schoolfield's father, Sgt. Richard Schoolfield, had served in Battery C during the same campaign. Both fathers had fired rockets from their Multiple Launch Rocket Systems during the Gulf War — and now their sons were doing the same, in the same battalion, in a different conflict a generation later.

What did General Schwarzkopf say about the 158th Field Artillery during Desert Storm?

General Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. recognized the 158th Field Artillery Regiment in a May 1991 article, writing that reserve component artillery units — specifically the Oklahomans — were 'part of the ground attack, with the Oklahomans achieving the highest rate of fire in Third Army.' This recognition from the Supreme Allied Commander of coalition forces was a remarkable honor for a National Guard unit.

In total, the 1st Battalion, 158th Field Artillery fired 903 rockets and traveled hundreds of kilometers in support of VII Corps during the offensive operations that led to the coalition's decisive victory over Iraqi forces in Operation Desert Storm.

What other missions did the 158th Field Artillery complete in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Since the September 11 attacks, the 158th has deployed thousands of soldiers to Afghanistan and Iraq across multiple rotations. However, none of those deployments before 2013 had involved the artillerymen performing their primary field artillery mission — instead, they were assigned to security and convoy support duties throughout the long years of counterinsurgency operations.

The 2013-2014 deployment with Battery A represented a return to the unit's core competency. The fire mission against the communications repeater was both operationally significant and symbolically meaningful — confirming that the unit's artillery skills and traditions remained sharp after years of performing missions outside their primary specialty.

What is a HIMARS system and why is it significant?

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) is a wheeled, highly mobile rocket launcher that can fire multiple guided and unguided rocket types, including the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) with a range of approximately 70 kilometers. Its precision capabilities make it effective for targeting specific enemy positions with minimal collateral damage — a critical consideration in counterinsurgency environments.

HIMARS has become one of the U.S. military's most valued systems in modern warfare, prized for its combination of mobility, accuracy, and range. For the Oklahoma National Guard artillerymen of the 158th, having their HIMARS finally employed in a combat fire mission represented both a personal and institutional milestone.