I first came upon the five-man crew of this M992A2 Field Artillery Ammunition Supply Vehicle, which was stationed behind the Paladins.
As the vehicle's name denotes, it supplies the Paladins with ammunition.
The crew showed me how they carry the 155mm projectiles, which weigh over 100 pounds. Some artillerymen said they carry it over their shoulders too.
The soldiers then challenged me to pick one up and, sensing a test, I couldn't back down.
Thankfully I was able to throw it on my shoulder and not look like a wimp in front of a bunch of professional tough guys and women. But they all still got a kick out of it.
I got to meet the platoon leader of the Paladin battery, 24-year-old First Lieutenant Elena Ruiz-Krause. And she certainly had an interesting story.
Ruiz-Krause told me that she had been in the service for six years, and had deployed to Kuwait in 2016, completing one short mission in Iraq as well.
When asked what it's like to not only be the sole female in the Paladin battery, but also it's leader, she said:
"They treat me exactly the same. I grew up with guys. I have two brothers. I'm definitely a girly girl when I'm back home, but when it's time to come out here, I'm just one of the soldiers. They tease me a little bit. I'm obviously the first female platoon leader they've had ... I tend to be a little motherly, so, you know, if I see morale is getting low, I walk around with a big bag of suckers and I'm like 'here, have some candy, guys' and they're like 'mam.'"
But she said that the soldiers appreciate her, and that they just tease her like she's one of the guys. "I care very much for my soldiers," she said.
Its 155mm cannon can fire six rounds per minute, or three rounds per minute sustained, up to 11 miles away.
It also runs on a Detroit Diesel 8V71T with a top speed of 35mph.