Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Alan Robertson | 190713-N-SL179-0064 ATLANTIC OCEAN (July 13, 2019) - Gunner's Mate 1st Class James...... read more read more
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Rounds are punched into magazines. Magazines are loaded into firearms. Targets are made ready. Firearms are brought to aim as the sun rises over the gun range. The quiet morning air is broken by a single shout. “FIRE,” calls Gunner’s Mate 1st Class James McKenzie, and the air is shattered with the roar of guns spitting bullets.
McKenzie, an Elvira, New York native, joined the Navy 14 years ago and he hasn’t looked back since.
“[Master-at-Arms Second Class] John Roldan and I are the only Small Arms Marksman Instructors on the ship currently,” said McKenzie. “However, now that [Gunner’s Mate Second Class] Matthew Strong is back, he and I are the only two that can certify crew members. They’ll both be transferred soon and that’ll leave me as the lone ranger for gun certification.”
The journey of this Gunner’s Mate began over a decade ago when McKenzie chose his path with a Navy detailer. McKenzie talked about the start of his Navy career and how he wound up choosing Gunner’s Mate (GM) as his rate.
“I sat down and they asked me what I liked to do,” said McKenzie. “I said I liked to work with my hands. I worked in an auto-body shop before I joined [the Navy]. I liked to work on and fix things, so they started throwing ideas out there, like Fire Controlman, this rate, that rate. Thing is, electronics and me really don’t get along, it’s all pure magic in my books, but he threw the Gunner’s Mate thing out there. I looked into it and it seemed right up my alley.”
As time progressed, McKenzie became qualified to teach others how to properly use a firearm.
McKenzie said that he can certify the crew of the amphibious assault ship Bataan (LHD 5) in the .25mm, the .50 cal and the M240, along with other various small arms, such as the M9 pistol, the M4 rifle, and the M500 shotgun and even the M14 for Replenishments-at-sea. All of these are stored in various armories across the ship for which he is responsible as the ship’s Lead Armorer.
He quickly found a new passion hidden in his rate when he reached a point in his career where he was qualified to run a gun range, “My favorite part of this job is the ranges, said McKenzie. “I love going to the ranges. I like getting out there and doing qualifications. It definitely beats doing the tedious stuff aboard the ship. No better day than getting out on a nice sunny range and doing what a GM is supposed to do.”
McKenzie brings his love of the ranges into his teaching methods.
“I just love instructing, especially if the students are really into it,” stated McKenzie. “Luckily 95 percent of the people I teach love to shoot things with a small, fast moving bullet. Most of the time the people I qualify are almost immediately going to [In-port Security Force] or [Small Craft Attack Teams], so it’s nice to watch those individuals take what they learn and employ it out there. Whether that’s out on the range or behind a .50 cal, just watching people work with the skills I gave them is satisfying like no one knows.”
At this point in his career one of McKenzie’s main goals is to pass on his knowledge to junior Sailors.
“With all the knowledge I’ve obtained in the last 14 years I hope to pass on as much as I can to my guy,” said McKenzie. “To prepare them for deployments and to pass on that knowledge so, if things go south, they’re ready. So I hope I can pass on the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the last 14 years and I hope my guys retain it and it’ll prepare them. It’ll make them a better Gunner’s Mate overall, and I think that’s all I can hope for.”
| Date Taken: | 09.16.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2019 12:41 |
| Story ID: | 341771 |
| Location: | ATLANTIC OCEAN |
| Web Views: | 34 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, The Lone Ranger of Bataan, by PO2 Travis Decker, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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