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War Update: Artillery

Now that U.S. forces have engaged the Iraqi Republican Guard south of Baghdad, American artillery will play an increasingly important role. The big 155 mm howitzers line up several miles behind the front to support the forward infantry. For the gun crews, it's often a lonely, thankless job, but they draw satisfaction from their gun's reputation as the "king of battle". NPR's John Burnett reports from central Iraq.

Copyright 2003 NPR

As NPR's Southwest correspondent based in Austin, Texas, John Burnett covers immigration, border affairs, Texas news and other national assignments. In 2018, 2019 and again in 2020, he won national Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio-Television News Directors Association for continuing coverage of the immigration beat. In 2020, Burnett along with other NPR journalists, were finalists for a duPont-Columbia Award for their coverage of the Trump Administration's Remain in Mexico program. In December 2018, Burnett was invited to participate in a workshop on Refugees, Immigration and Border Security in Western Europe, sponsored by the RIAS Berlin Commission.