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    Soldiers of 1-32 CAV sniper section cross train during OLEII

    Soldiers of 1-32 CAV sniper section cross train during OLEII

    Photo By Spc. Jordy Harris | Spc. Hazen Machia of Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 32d Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade...... read more read more

    FORT CAMPBELL, KY, UNITED STATES

    05.10.2022

    Story by Spc. Jordy Harris 

    101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

    Soldiers of Charlie Troop, 1st Squadron, 32d Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) conducted a Live Fire Gunnery during Operation Lethal Eagle II at Fort Campbell, KY on Tuesday, May 10, 2022.

    The training during OLE II is designed to give leaders maximum time to train and cultivate warrior tactics.

    To help the Soldiers in 1st Brigade Combat Team be able to provide value outside of their military occupation specialty and understand how different support elements work, 1-32 CAV sniper teams worked with vehicle mounted assets from 1st Brigade Combat Team.

    “For us as a sniper section, this gave us a better opportunity to incorporate ourselves with elements we typically wouldn’t train with,” said Staff Sgt. Craig Mordaunt, a native of Lynn, Massachusetts.

    Mordaunt is the section leader of Sniper Section Charlie Troop, 1-32 CAV, 1st BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (ASSLT). With snipers being non-organic to an infantry squad, they participated in a non-standard style of a firefight. Soldiers received simulated contact during this exercise to train for intercepting enemy assailants that are both mounted and dismounted.
    “We received contact, we pushed through and began to engage the enemy until we reached our support by fire location, where the snipers began engaging targets of priority,” said Mordant.

    The sniper section also belongs to the infantry family of 11B, but against near-peer enemies, they would instead be utilized to engage and destroy specific targets of opportunity. This ensures the ground forces can focus on a more effective offensive push forward with fewer high-profile targets being assessable to the enemy.

    The sniper squad also contains machine gun assets, where the Soldier in this role provide sustained suppressing fire on an enemy location, via the M249 weapon system. Soldiers hone their proficiency with this weapon by performing a standard sight zero, and repetitive target training.

    “As an M249 gunner, we qualify and zero our weapon system. It is pretty normal to me, but for a lot of guys who are unfamiliar with it, it allows me to offer guidance and get closer to them,” said Spc. Hazen Machia, a native of Highgate, Vermont.

    During this live fire training session, the sniper section also used the M2010 Enhanced Sniper Rifle (ESR), formerly known as the XM2010. Soldiers employing this system picked off moving targets appearing between distances of 100- 1200 meters, supported by mortar fire and machine-gun suppressing fire.

    Having the ability to cross-train with other lethal elements in the division is one of the many opportunities that OLE II provided to Soldiers during field training and familiarized them with situations that could arise against near-peer enemies, and refreshing them on basic Soldier tasks and drills.

    In addition to honing their skills, they also have had time to build a deep cohesion, spending days in an open environment together as they train.
    “I feel like our cohesion has gotten better since we have been here. We eat together, sleep together, and go on missions together, which allows us to get closer each day.” Said Cpl. Jasper Lopez, a native of Los Baños, California.

    “I feel this last exercise has been a fantastic opportunity for the squad to train together,” said Mordaunt. “I feel they did exceedingly well, given the fact that you may not always have an organic squad of only infantry Soldiers. Mixing infantry and sniper elements and having them perform the way they did out here is excellent.”
    As these Soldiers prepare for their next rendezvous with destiny, training events like OLE II will continue to provide Screaming Eagle Soldiers with the training and support they need to ensure they are ready when the nation calls.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 05.10.2022
    Date Posted: 05.17.2022 16:15
    Story ID: 420620
    Location: FORT CAMPBELL, KY, US
    Hometown: HIGHGATE FALLS, VT, US
    Hometown: LOS BANOS, CA, US
    Hometown: MASSACHUSETTS MILITARY RESERVATION, MA, US

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