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The 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery Regiment (2-2 FAR), best known as “Big Deuce,” dates back to 1901 when the prior U.S. Army regimental designation of artillery units was dropped and Corps organization was adopted.

After serving in the Philippines and in the Great War– the latter with the 8th Division– the unit reformed to protect the Panama Canal Zone from 1930 through the first stages of WWII. By August 1944, as part of Patton’s Third Army, they landed on Utah Beach and earned three streamers for actions in Central Europe before VE Day.

Since 1946, 2-2 FAR has been a school unit at Fort Sill off and on in different formats. It’s the latest incarnation, using M119 105mm light howitzers, reactivated February 05 1991. They have been very busy since then.

The Battalion fires in excess of 60,000 artillery rounds and hauls more than 100,000 rounds annually, training new artillerymen and forward observers from both the Army and Marines.

In 1997, they fired their one millionth shot out of their 105s.

Last month the “Bulldogs” of Bravo Battery 2-2 FAR, got a chance to rocket off the battalion’s two millionth round. The three millionth is expected to be fired in 2035.