Lakefield, Minnesota native leads U.S. Marines in training near highest mountain in Japan

Photo By Cpl. Tegra Shepherd | U.S. Marine Cpl. Andrew Chmela, a field artillery fire control Marine with Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, prepares to participate in Artillery Relocation Training Program 18-1 April 23, 2018, on Combined Arms Training Complex, Camp Fuji, Japan. ARTP is a Japan-funded, routine training exercise that allows Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, to conduct live-fire training in Japan. Chmela is a native of Lakefield, Minnesota. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Tegra Shepherd))  

CAMP FUJI, SHIZUOKA, JAPAN

04.23.2018

Story by Cpl. Carl King 

3rd Marine Division     

COMBINED ARMS TRAINING COMPLEX, CAMP FUJI Japan- “I think he is meritorious sergeant material,” said Staff Sgt. Adalberto Gomez when referring to Cpl. Andrew Chmela, the assistant operations chief with Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12 Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division.

“He’s one of those [noncommissioned officers] that I can give a task to and he makes sure the job gets done, “said Gomez, the operations chief with the battery.

Chmela, a native of Lakefield, Minnesota, joined the Marine Corps March 2, 2015 out of Recruiting Station Twin Cities after attending South Dakota State University for a semester. Chmela’s psych for being the best was the reason he chose the Marine Corps but his love of math led him to choose his military occupational specialty.

“When I initially joined, I wanted to be involved in a military occupational specialty that involved math and my recruiter said I should look into becoming a field artillery fire control Marine,” said Chmela.

Field artillery fire control Marines perform duties essential to the delivery of accurate artillery fire.

After his completion of Marine Corps recruit training in San Diego, and following Marine Corps Combat Training, Chmela finished off his formal schooling at the Field Artillery Fire Control Marine course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

Following training, Chmela headed to Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment based in San Diego where he has been his entire career.
Chmela is deployed with the battalion to Okinawa, Japan, where they are conducting the Artillery Relocation Training Program 18-1 at Camp Fuji, Japan.

ARTP is a Japan-funded, routine training exercise that allows Marines with 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, to conduct live-fire training.

Part of Chmela’s job while participating in the exercise will be to ensure that target calculations are current for the gun line while firing on range.

"It feels great to be working under his leadership while out here in Camp Fuji for exercise Artillery Relocation Training Program,” said Lance Cpl. Cameron Grueniger, a Marine serving under Chmela. “I know we’ll get a lot done in the coming weeks.”

• Date Taken: 04.23.2018
• Date Posted: 04.25.2018 03:54
• Story ID: 274355
• Location: CAMP FUJI, SHIZUOKA, JP
• Hometown: LAKEFIELD, MN, US