Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Hecht | A U.S. Army Soldier from the New Jersey National Guard’s D Company, 1st Battalion,...... read more read more
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When Soldiers are in combat, they rely on the tools of the trade that provide the biggest punch. After a year of training on a variety of weapons, troops from Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 114th Infantry finally got hands on experience with the Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher.
The Soldiers trained with the Mk 19 July 25-26 on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst’s expansive ranges.
Spc. Sean Platt, who by trade is a construction worker from Millville, N.J., was excited about the training.
“The Mk 19 is a fully automatic grenade launcher that throws 40mm rounds downrange,” said Platt. “ It’s great against area targets, enemy troops, and light vehicles.”
The Mk 19 was originally designed in 1966, and the U.S. Army adopted the Mod 3 version in 1983.
The Guardsmen got to shoot the Mk 19 on several platforms.
“We have them set up on the tripod mount, as well as the CROWS system,” said Senior Gunner Staff Sgt. Michael Cartwright.
“With the CROWS, they can sit inside the vehicle and watch everything on a screen,” continued Cartwright. “They can shoot a laser that measures the distance to the target, and make small adjustments to keep locked onto that target.”
CROWS, which stands for Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station (CROWS) is a remote weapons station for use on top of tactical vehicles.
The New Jersey Soldiers, firing on tank targets, operated in teams of three: loader, gunner, and spotter.
“Today we’re having a lot of fun training, but also gaining valuable experience,” said Cpl. George Gottuso, a nursing student from Washington Township, N.J.
“This kind of training is awesome, as a group we get a lot closer,” said Gottuso. “We get to spend time with guys that are new to the unit. It’s a great experience.”
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2018 17:05 |
| Story ID: | 285912 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, NEW JERSEY, US |
| Web Views: | 201 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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