Photo By Winifred Brown | Pfc. Wyatt Ripple, assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade...... read more read more
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By Wendy Brown
Fort Bliss Bugle
DOÑA ANA, N.M. – In the infantry Soldiers’ arsenal of weapons, machine guns play an important role by allowing them to overwhelm the enemy with suppressive fire.
To develop and maintain proficiency, Soldiers assigned to 1st Squadron, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, qualified at Range 60 here on the M249 light machine gun and the M240B heavy machine gun June 8, 2017.
“This training is important, especially with the heavy machine guns, to get the Soldiers used to using them, so when we do deploy we can close and engage with the enemies with the heavy weapon,” said Staff Sgt. Ellic Peel, a mounted squad leader assigned to the unit. “It’s to get them used to the recoil and everything on the weapons system.”
About 40 Soldiers assigned to Companies A and B qualified, hitting targets anywhere from 100 to 800 meters, said 2nd Lt. John Bridgewater, assigned to 1st Sqdn., 6th Inf. Regt., 2nd BCT, 1st AD, and the training’s officer in charge.
Soldiers usually have to qualify on the weapons every six months, Bridgewater said, and they can use the guns for anything from a mounted position to a weapons squad.
“Usually we use them in the infantry world for support by fire,” Bridgewater said. “So they set up the support by fire while the assaulting element flanks in and does the rest.”
In the Army for nearly nine years, Peel served as a coach and mentor for the unit’s less experienced Soldiers. With temperatures at the range in the high 90s, the heat and the glare of the sun were the biggest challenge for Soldiers, Peel said.
“The biggest challenge is actually adapting and overcoming the natural elements that we’re up against out here,” Peel said.
Other than that, Soldiers just had to remember to maintain their calm, keep their fundamentals and breathe steadily, Peel said.
Soldiers who participated in the training said they learned a lot and became more comfortable with the weapons.
“It’s good to come out and actually get hands on with the weapons and get used to them,” said Pfc. Curtis Redfield, assigned to1st Sqdn., 6th Inf. Regt., 2nd BCT, 1st AD. “… The hardest part is getting comfortable on the weapons and staying calm.”
Pvt. Wyatt McDoniel, meanwhile, assigned to 1st Sqdn., 6th Inf. Regt., 2nd BCT, 1st AD, said he and his fellow Soldiers improved their skills on the weapons and although they discovered a few skills they need to work on, they learned a lot.
“We’re making some pretty deadly Soldiers out here,” McDoniel said.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2017 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 240303 |
| Location: | TX, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 1-6 Inf. Regt. qualifies on light, heavy machine guns, by Winifred Brown, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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