Okinawa, Japan. (May 26, 2025): A weapon invented to lay siege to castles continues to serve today as a Marine Platoon’s personal artillery piece. In this photo by Lance Corporal Rodney Frye, Corporal Juan Garcia employs an M224 60mm mortar during a field training exercise. Corporal Garcia, a native of the Dominican Republic, is a mortarman with 12th Littoral Combat Team, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.
The use of mortars in combat dates to the invention of gunpowder during the 13th century. The Koreans were reportedly the first to use mortars in a naval battle in 1413. These early gunsmiths fashioned a gourd shaped weapon called a wan'gu that quickly became a fortress-defense weapon.
Mortars were heavily used by both sides during the American Civil War. During the Siege of Vicksburg, General Ulysses S. Grant reportedly used a Coehorn, a Dutch designed mortar used for siege warfare, to bombard rebel positions. A Coehorn was light enough to be moved by as few as two men and was made with the trunks of trees packed with scrap metal as projectiles and a large quantity of gunpowder. Mortarmen adjusted the range by changing the size of the gunpowder charge.
Today’s infantry platoon uses the M224 60 mm Lightweight Company Mortar System that was deployed extensively in the War in Afghanistan. The weapon consists of a cannon, tripod, and baseplate weighing approximately forty pounds that is used for close-in fire support of ground troops. It can be fired in both conventional and hand-held mode and rounds can be manually inserted or through a spring loader. It can fire high explosive, smoke, illumination, and anti-personnel rounds with a range over 3,800 yards.
While the Marine’s seldom conduct sieges anymore, every platoon carries its “personal artillery” into combat wherever they fight.