POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA, Hawaii -- Marines with Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, got a lot of practice time in, and honed the skills that will be required to complete their high-paced and very demanding job of sending rounds downrange in support of infantry and air units that may call upon their expertise.The Marines of 1/12 describe their job in three words. "We shoot, move and communicate," said Master Sgt. Guy Woodard, the battalion artillery chief, explaining that all the moving parts involved in accomplishing the 1/12 mission makes those three words seem completely inadequate.First off, 1/12 fires the M198-towed howitzer cannon, which is a massive piece of gear that has stood the test of time and opened windows of opportunity for many who have called upon its might."A unit in the field radios for artillery support," explained Staff Sgt. Charles Moore, guns platoon sergeant with Charlie Battery. "We then receive the order to move. The Marines begin packing up the required gear and hitching their weapons to their five-ton truck. Or, sometimes, CH-53D Sea Stallions [helicopters] carry the massive weapon to the location it is supposed to be in."An advanced party goes out and recons the area where the guns will be placed, and then the main body moves in to get the fire cap. All the weapons are placed on the same plane of fire toward the enemy," said Moore. The forward observer, who is actually out with the infantry unit, radios back the coordinates to impact the unit's artillery, to the Fire Direction Center. The FDC puts the information into a computer that produces coordinates that are further relayed to the gun line. The rounds are then sent downrange. It sounds like a lot to go through, said Moore, but 1/12 uses every precaution necessary to ensure that rounds it lets loose land where they're needed and when they are needed."Our Marines have learned a lot during the Hawaii Combined Arms Exercise. It allowed us to stay up on our qualification," said Capt. Brian Russell, commander of Charlie Battery, 1/12. "HCAX has given the battery its last opportunity to get some good training in before our unit deployment later this year. "It also allowed us to complete our training and readiness evaluation, but most importantly, it gave us a chance to work together with all the other command elements participating in the exercise.""We don't have time to make mistakes," said Woodard regarding the extensive training. "It's all about the fire mission."