Photo By Cpl. Noah Rudash | Gunnery Sgt. Shamus Flynn, combat instructor trainer, School of Infantry-West, gives a...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Oceanside, Calif. – Throughout history, Marines have proven to be capable and deadly marksmen in many conflicts around the world. Over the last 243 years, the Marine Corps has taken necessary measures to build the most effective weapons to ensure the accuracy of its men and women in the line of battle. Without studying the history of rifles, today’s Marines would not be equipped to successfully defeat the enemy and protect America and other nations.
On May 26, 2018, Marines, veterans and civilians with the Santa Margarita Gun Club, attended the School of Infantry-West’s (SOI-W) Live-Fire Professional Military Education (PME) and Match on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The event allowed the group to become familiar with historical weapons and learn how they were used in Marine Corps history.
The match included a weapons handling class, a familiarization fire and a live-fire competition. Dan Shapiro, a retired police sergeant, and weapons enthusiast, introduced the participants to the weapons featured at the event. Shapiro has taught Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets and participants at numerous events for 10 years about the history of vintage rifles.
“You can appreciate what you have today when you can compare it to years past,” said Shapiro.
To better prepare for operations abroad, it is vital for Marines to understand the enemy and they types of weapons they use.
“The weapons each have different operating systems and if you're unfamiliar with them, they can be difficult to manipulate,” said John Hermsen, President of the Santa Margarita Gun Club and chief range safety officer. “For these guys to safely unload them, or like I say, put them into play, they need to know how to handle them.”
The shooters began the live-fire competition using vintage rifles, and continued through each stage until they fired modern-day weapons.
“Marines do PME all across the fleet, so I figured I could combine it all to get some history in and run some guns” said Gunnery Sgt. Shamus Flynn, combat instructor trainer, SOI-W, who coordinated the event. “Honestly, some of these Marines will never shoot these types of rifles again, so I'm happy they could get behind the historical guns.”
The Santa Margarita Gun Club has utilized the ranges and facilities on Camp Pendleton for 65 years, and played a key role in the event. The club provided marksmanship instruction, weapons, and ammunition for participants to use while also providing classes on the historic weapons to those who were unfamiliar.
Hermsen described the club members as a “brain trust of the Marine Corps,” for their vast knowledge of history. He said that the knowledge the club members provided to the Marines in attendance, will benefit them for years to come.
| Date Taken: | 05.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 06.08.2018 16:56 |
| Story ID: | 280080 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 56 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Honoring the fallen: Vintage rifle live-fire and match, by Sgt Shellie Hall and Cpl Noah Rudash, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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