FORT BENNING, Ga., (Dec. 2, 2015) -- Pvt. David Gonzales, from Santa Rosa, California, had never fired a weapon before he chose to enlist in the Army.
As a Soldier with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment, marksmanship with an M16 rifle is a basic Soldier skill he will learn to master.
Basic combat training Soldiers have been carrying their M16s with them throughout red phase training, but it wasn't until they began white phase that they first pulled the trigger to fire live rounds.
Capt. Shinwon Moon, company commander, said that marksmanship is a fundamental skill of Soldiers, regardless of military occupational specialty.
"At any given time, any Soldier can become an Infantryman," said 1st Sgt. Jeremie Dick, company first sergeant.
Moon said it would be a huge disfavor to Army support personnel to expect that they would not ever have to fire their rifle, especially with the asymmetric nature of war.
Soldiers received a range safety brief Nov. 16 at Lee Range upon arrival, filled up the firing lines, paired with a peer coach from their company and zeroed their rifles at targets 200 meters downrange. Rifle Marksmanship 4 had them perform the dime-washer drill, where they learned to keep their rifle steady and zeroing where they aligned their sites for a consistent site picture.
"Marksmanship can be boiled down to trigger squeeze, breathing and site picture," Moon said. "We're constantly reinforcing what they're being tested on at the range."
During training, the Soldiers have three layers of supervision to correct and improve their marksmanship skills; the Soldiers have their peer coaches, drill sergeants and master marksmanship training course qualified drill sergeants, said Staff Sgt. Nathan Green, drill sergeant. Trainees are taught marksmanship using the "Panther Process," which is the culmination of the most cutting edge and lethal techniques endorsed by the Army Marksmanship Unit, Moon said. D Company boasts five drill sergeants who are Master Marksmanship Level 1 qualified and two drill sergeants who have completed the highly selective Master Marksmanship Level 4 program.
"All layers of expertise are covered," Moon said.
The BCT Soldiers are taught peer coaching techniques in Rifle Marksmanship 1, 2 and 3, Dick said, so they can focus on what critiques to make on the shooter.
Prior to live-fire shooting, Soldiers practiced on digital simulations to be able to group and zero electronically.
"Of course, the real thing is very different, but at least they have some familiarity of what to expect," Moon said.
Having never fired a rifle before, Gonzales said the marksmanship training was exciting, yet intimidating. He had confidence in the training his drill sergeants provided, though.
"I felt like I was doing well, but I was a little bit off," Gonzales said of his grouping. "I feel like I need a lot more practice with it."
Social Sharing