WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The sun shimmers off a ground sprinkled with brass casings as Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) ready their weapons and await the instructor’s call to fire.
The event, held at a shooting range in Williamsburg, was a collaboration between John C. Stennis’ Security and Weapons departments in order to provide training and qualifications on the M9 pistol and M4 carbine to Sailors not in the Master-at-Arms rating. Sailors who completed qualifications are able to stand armed security watches with the in-port security force (ISF).
ISF provides extra man power for the ship’s naval security force (NSF) while in port.
“We have about 75 Master-at-Arms that work solely in security,” said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Wade Reygaert, from South Bend, Indiana. “When we pull into port, we have three times as many watches and we can’t cover those with just the Master-at-Arms.”
In order to maintain skills and qualify new Sailors, the Security department conducts qualification exercises every nine months.
“The reason we have to qualify on weapons that we use is to make sure that we are proficient with them, because we wouldn’t want to put a watchstander on a watch if they are not capable of standing the watch properly,” said Reygaert.
Sailors who stand sentry watches are trained in such a manner that in the unlikely event a deadly situation arises, the watchstanders will be able to act safely and efficiently.
“In order for us to carry a weapon, we have to be qualified to shoot that weapon,” said Aviation Ordnanceman 1st Class Vinh Le, from Houston, a Sailor temporarily assigned to John C. Stennis’ Security department.
One of the weapons watchstanders must be qualified to use is the M9 pistol.
The M9 pistol has multiple qualifications that must be obtained before a Sailor may stand watch. These qualifications include maneuvers that require the shooter to elevate their heart rate, shoot behind barricades, and shoot from many different positions, such as the standing and kneeling position. There is also a qualification that requires the shooter to successfully hit a target in the dark.
“By doing the practical weapons course and getting behind a barricade, you’re putting yourself in a much safer position to be able to engage a target and bettering your odds of going home again today,” said Reygaert. “Essentially, we want everyone to go home at the end of the day and the bad guy to be stopped.”
All in all, the purpose of the qualifications falls back on the safety of the crew and ship.
“It’s kind of like driving a car,” said Reygaert. “You don’t just give somebody a license and let them drive.”
Exhausted and drenched with sweat, newly trained Sailors pick up their brass casings and prepare to return to the ship that they will now be trusted to protect. The smell of smoke from freshly fired weapons lingers in the air. John C. Stennis’ Sailors may now rest easy knowing that the ship’s safety will stay in good, well-trained hands.
The John C. Stennis is pierside in its new home port, Norfolk, Virginia, after completing a seven-month deployment, and is preparing for refueling complex overhaul.
For more news on John C. Stennis, visit www.stennis.navy.mil or follow along on Facebook at www.facebook.com/stennis74.
Date Taken: | 07.24.2019 |
Date Posted: | 07.24.2019 12:56 |
Story ID: | 332801 |
Location: | WILLIAMSBURG, VA, US |
Web Views: | 90 |
Downloads: | 0 |
This work, John C. Stennis Sailors Train Like They Fight, by PO2 Mitchell Banks, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
LEAVE A COMMENT