Costumed children excitedly scrambled for candy shot from a HIMARS rocket launcher on an Oklahoma Army base this Halloween. The rocket system is known for its role in Ukraine’s war effort against Russia.
At Fort Sill in southwest Oklahoma, a group of children shrieked and dashed to pick candy from the ground after it was fired with a hollow bang from the vehicle-mounted HIMARS, or High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.
“How else would you expect us to give children candy on Halloween? FIRE MISSION!!!” the base tweeted from its official account.
The tweet gave credit for the blast to 1st Battalion, 78th Field Artillery Regiment, which trains artillery forces at Fort Sill in systems like HIMARS.
The battalion also apparently held a trunk-or-treat event for the spooky holiday.
U.S.-manufactured HIMARS launchers have played a pivotal role in Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, allowing Ukraine to cripple invaders’ logistics safely and accurately from afar. The lightweight launchers can fire six GPS-guided missiles, and the trucks can quickly reposition.
The rocket systems have been so effective that at one point the Russian defense minister ordered their destruction a top priority, VICE reported. And the U.S. recently more than doubled the amount of HIMARS in Ukraine to a total of 34, Insider reported.
With a population of about 53,000, Fort Sill hosts the U.S. Army Field Artillery School, Air Defense Artillery School, and two artillery brigades, according to a military page.
VICE noted that while trick-or-treating a HIMARS may seem odd, families living on military bases develop their own cultures. The base is home to about 33,000 military family members, according to the military page.
