MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Marines serving with Headquarters and Service Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, sharpened their combat marksmanship skills here, Sept. 6.
The Combat Marksmanship Program helped Marines progress their marksmanship skills by shooting two live fire target courses.
Unlike normal marksmanship training, the CMP shoot closely resembles how Marines fight in ground combat.
“This shoot breaks the mold of shooting Table 1 (Marksmanship Training) at long distances and gets the Marines used to the wars that we’re fighting right now,” said Lance Cpl. Timothy Bridges, the training non-commissioned officer for H&S Company.
The CMP range focused on training Marines to shoot targets using two to three rounds per target and techniques Marines would use when fighting on urban terrain.
“[The CMP shoot] takes the Marines closer to the target and makes it more of a close-quarters battle,” said Bridges, a Kansas City, Kan., native. “It is a lot of quicker shooting, and you are a lot closer to the targets when you engage them.”
Along with their annual rifle qualification, the CMP shoot allows Marines to build confidence within themselves and their weapons, said Sgt. Dane Bell, an instructor at 1st Marine Division Schools.
“Military operations in urban terrain are the most dangerous type of environment in combat today,” said Bell, a Joplin, Mo., native. “Getting the Marines comfortable in that kind of environment is the best thing we can do.”
The training exercise was not part of the Marines’ annual rifle qualification requirements. The purpose of this CMP shoot was to prepare the Marines for Exercise Steel Knight, said Gunnery Sgt. Willie Cisneros, H&S Company gunnery sergeant.
Steel Knight is a battalion-scale training exercise that increases the Marines’ readiness to deploy.
“Steel Knight is a field training exercise to see where we are at as a battalion with our combat effectiveness,” said Cisneros, a San Jose, Calif., native.
Although the Marines serving with H&S Company have non-infantry military occupational specialties, keeping a combat mindset will keep them readily available at any given time, Cisneros said.