Weapons Training With The 369th Sustainment Brigade

Photo By Sgt. Ryan Scribner | U.S. Army Spc. Kelly Smith, a human resources specialist with the 369th Sustainment Brigade, assembles the M2 machine gun at Ft. Hood, TX, Oct. 7, 2022. The M2 machine gun has been used in combat since World War II. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Ryan Scribner)  

FORT HOOD, TX, UNITED STATES

10.16.2022

Story by Spc. Ryan Scribner 

369th Sustainment Brigade

FORT HOOD, TX -- Fifty U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 369th Sustainment Brigade participated in Preliminary Marksmanship Instruction, or PMI, Oct. 7, 2022 at North Fort Hood, Texas during premobilization training.

PMI is designed specifically for small arms skill development, sustainment and range qualification with marksmanship standards from Army field manuals.

This training featured the M4 carbine, the M249 squad automatic weapon, the M240B machine gun and M2 heavy machine gun and it entailed four groups of Soldiers learning about one or more of the weapons.

The diversity of weapons and the time granted to Soldiers to learn the mechanics of the weapons, enables mission readiness, said Sgt. First Class Steven Bastardo, a motor transport sergeant with the 369th SB, and lead PMI instructor.

Spc. Kelly Smith, a human resources specialist with the 369th SB trained with the M2. Her primary weapon is the M4, a sleek and lightweight weapon when compared to the M2, which is a heavy weapon, requiring both a tripod and a quick change barrel that must be assembled by the service member's team for a weapon crew’s operational use.

Smith who has previously been trained on the M249 said the biggest challenge in PMI is getting used to a different weapon.

“A lot of people have very little experience with weapon systems beyond their assigned weapon,” Bastardo said. “An environment like this encourages people to be comfortable using different weapons if the need arises.”

The five-hour training day consisted of weapon system introduction, assembly and disassembly, marksmanship instruction and for the M4 only, there were shooting position drills.

“By the end of the training, I know how to do some things with the weapon like assembly and disassembly but I have to keep at it,” Smith said. “There is more to learn and I have not yet fired the weapon.”

• Date Taken: 10.16.2022
• Date Posted: 10.31.2022 05:56
• Story ID: 432300
• Location: FORT HOOD, TX, US