Photo By Tech. Sgt. Efren Lopez | U.S. Marine Cpl. Shannon Kunz, door gunner on a UH-1Y Huey assigned to Marine Light...... read more read more
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TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - She pushes the trigger and feels the recoil from the .50-caliber machine gun as she lays down some rounds on the desert valley below. The adrenaline rush goes threw her veins as the bullets pelt the ground.
“Since I was in the six grade I wanted to be a Marine, I decorated my room with all kinds of motivational posters of the Corps,” said, Cpl. Shannon Kunz, the only female door gunner on a UH-1Y Huey assigned to Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, “Gunfighters.” She puts on her life support vest on her sturdy frame as she prepares for another combat mission during her pre-deployment preparation, while participating in Integrated Training Exercise 2-16 at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Her interest in the military was sparked by her father who spent lots of time with her in the woods hunting and fishing in the small town of North Berwick, Maine. Kunz credits her father for being the inspiration and driving force to join the Marines. She mentions how proud he is of her for making it this far in her military career.
A vignette of Kunz duties includes pre and post flight crew coordination; she serves as the aircraft's maintenance manager, door gunner and secures all cargo and personal and provides an extra eyes and ears for the pilots. Her role will vary depending on the task given on a particular mission. When she is not flying, Cpl. Kunz helps other maintainers on the flight line by providing an extra hand with the aircraft maintenance.
With her hand covered with oil and grease she loads .50-caliber rounds on to a machine gun belt as she prepares for a close air support mission.
“The favorite part of my job is firing the .50 caliber,” said Kunz.
She describes the firearm as a highly accurate and destructive automatic weapon used for offensive and defensive purposes. When not manning the .50 caliber, she is operating the M240 Delta machine gun and performing inflight observer duties.
She describes the rigors of her job by explaining how mentally demanding her duties are and how fatigued she is after working a 12-hour day in a desert environment.
“Dealing with the weather in Twentynine palms has been a challenge. The cold mornings and hot afternoons have made some of us get the sniffles,” said Kunz.
A change in the weather during a mission for Kunz can be as drastic as departing the flight line with 70-degree temperature and then flying at an altitude of six thousand feet with the doors on the helicopter and the temperature at times dropping as low as zero degrees.
The Santa Ana winds and the dust they create are another factor propellers aircraft and maintainers on the flight line are having to deal with this year.
Kunz said, “We had to shut down all the flights for safety reason for two days because of the high winds and cold temperatures”
According to Kunz, the most memorable mission for her has been the ground reaction training scenarios where she has to respond to enemies firing simulated missiles toward her helicopter. She enjoys the thrill of aiming at enemy targets and watching the rounds hit their mark.
After completing another combat mission, she walks off the flight line carrying an 84-pound .50-caliber machine gun on her shoulder and then completes her day by cleaning the large gun.
When asked if her parents worry about her because of the dangers of her job?
She responds, "Yes, but I tell them that 'God is guiding me thru everything.'”
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.24.2016 01:59 |
| Story ID: | 189890 |
| Location: | TWENTYNINE PALMS, CA, US |
| Hometown: | NORTH BERWICK, ME, US |
| Web Views: | 1,470 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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