FORT STEWART, Ga. - Soldiers of Troop B, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division conducted ground mount qualification Feb. 21-25 at the multipurpose range complex, or MPRC, at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
During the qualification range soldiers operated three weapon systems on tripods that would typically be mounted on vehicles: The 240B automatic machine gun, .50-caliber machine gun and Mk19 automatic grenade launcher.
"The purpose of ground mount is to familiarize gunners and truck commanders with the weapon system, target identification and engagement commands," said Capt. Andrew Hibbs, Troop B commander. He added this training would allow Bushmaster Troop to deploy anywhere and anytime to be the eyes and ears of the commander.
Additionally, troops used this week to practice passage of lines, call for fire, casualty recovery and vehicle recovery, making the scenario more in-depth and realistic. During a training scenario, a Soldier was notionally injured. His crew had to conduct casualty care and evacuate him safely, in addition to completing the mission.
"Having the [fire support officer] with his crew, the mortars and the medics, you get to see everything at your fingertips," Hibbs said. "You can synchronize fires and perform casualty recovery."
Passage of lines training is important to keep the Soldiers proficient in their basic cavalry scout skills enabling them to secure an objective and give other units accessibility to unfamiliar territory.
"Passage of lines training is taking a unit that is currently occupying a screen or a forward edge of the battlefield and has another unit advance through," Hibbs said.
Hibbs said he was pleased with the training. He was happy that his Soldiers apply themselves and completed their given tasks.
"They did an awesome job," Hibbs said. "The [preliminary marksmanship instruction] beforehand coupled with [engagement skills trainer] resulted in competent gunners who could engage and destroys targets."
"My Soldiers came to me and actually asked for more training," Hibbs said. "It really makes me happy to see my Soldiers come to me and ask for more training. It shows that they are motivated. I couldn't be more proud."
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