The 311th ESC goes to the range during AT

Photo By Capt. Fernando Ochoa | Capt. Mark Maley, 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Weapons Qualification Range officer in charge, supervised 80 Soldiers from the 311th ESC at Camp Pendleton, Calif., during their two week Annual Training August 1-2, 2020. Soldiers, using the M-4 air-cooled, gas-operated, direct impingement magazine-fed carbine rifle, fire at their targets.  

CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

08.02.2020

Story by Capt. Fernando Ochoa 

311th Expeditionary Sustainment Command   

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – Capt. Mark Maley, 311th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Weapons Qualification Range officer in charge, supervised 80 Soldiers from the 311th ESC at Camp Pendleton, Calif., during their two week Annual Training August 1-2, 2020.

Yearly, Soldiers must go to the gunnery range and qualify on a designated weapon system, usually a 9-millimeter handgun or a 4-millimeter rifle. In order for a Soldier to qualify, he or she must score 24 out of 40 to be a marksman, 30 to 35 to be a sharpshooter, and 36 to 40 to be called an expert.

Army basic marksmanship training consists of three phases. This training lasts approximately two to three weeks and ends with qualification testing, where one must pass with a minimum score in order to proceed to graduation.

The first phase, one learns how to disassemble, clean and reassemble their weapon as well as learning safe handling procedures. During the second phase, the Soldier fires their weapon, the objective being to familiarize themselves with the weapon, getting used to safely and accurately handling the weapon. The final phase is going to the range and shooting. Firearms and ammunition used on the range may be subject to inspection at any time.

“The first challenge is getting through the heat, but my first priority is safety and maintaining a sense of discipline, and securing the range,” said Maley. “It is always a good day when we can go to the range. For the younger Soldiers, this is more of a familiarization and for the older Soldiers, it is fun all day long.”

A lot of the heavy lifting during weapons qualification is done by the logistic section. Staff Sgt. Cheyanne Gaxiola and Sgt. Henry Saye had many tasks including, issuing weapons and ammunition, assuring that every round is accounted for, and bringing all the supplies needed to maintain the range.

“As Reservists, we have critical objectives to accomplish and one is going to the range for weapons qualification at least two times a year,” said Gaxiola. “We utilize this time because we have to maintain our service weapons and stay focused on our weapons training to stay sharp. This should always be a service member’s priority.”

Every Soldier using the range, regardless of experience, must first go through the range safety orientation and complete all required paperwork with no exceptions. Eye and ear protection must be put on before entering the range and must remain on during the entire use of the range. In every military exercise or movement, safety is the priority.

Once the Soldiers make it to the range, Capt. Maley had them sit in the grandstands, where he gave them a safety brief. All shooters must always remain behind the firing line until they are given direction from the range OIC or NCO in-charge. All firearms must always be pointed downrange in a safe manner. The shooter always keeps their finger off the trigger until they point at the target and are ready to shoot.

In July of 2019, the Army released the TC 3-20.40 Training and Qualification-Individual Weapons manual that covered not just rifle and carbine marksmanship but also has new standards for pistol and other individual weapons.

The 311th ESC’s primary mission is to command the sustainment brigades that provide combat support and combat service support in the areas of supply, maintenance, transportation, field services and the functional brigades or battalions.

• Date Taken: 08.02.2020
• Date Posted: 08.20.2020 14:26
• Story ID: 376406
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US