Weapons Instructors Fill Vital Role at Recruit Training Command

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Christopher OGrady | Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Georgia Magill poses for a portrait photo at Recruit Training Command. More than 40,000 recruits train annually at the Navy's only boot camp. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher M. O'Grady)  

GREAT LAKES, IL, UNITED STATES

12.15.2022

Story by Alan Nunn      

U.S. Navy Recruit Training Command

GREAT LAKES – Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Georgia Magill’s career path is filled with detours.

While neither her rate nor current position were intended destinations, she’s embraced a journey that led to Recruit Training Command (RTC) where she serves as a weapons instructor.

“It’s been a wild ride,” Magill said. “Becoming a gunner’s mate and a weapons instructor –they weren’t my first choices, but they’ve still been the best choices for me.”

After eight years as a Sailor, including the last 19 months at RTC, Magill wouldn’t change course.

The daughter of Chief Joe Magill (ret.) was raised in a household that stressed the importance of a college education.

“That’s a lot of pressure and I didn’t like that,” Magill said. “But my dad always told us stories about going to Thailand, Philippines, and Japan and that sounded like a lot of fun. So I said, ‘You know what? That's what I want to do.’ It took me a while though. I didn't join until five years after I graduated high school. I actually turned 21 in boot camp.”

Following assignments that took her to Norfolk, Virginia, Bahrain and elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf, Magill is filling a vital need at RTC. She is one of the 105 weapons instructors at the Navy’s only boot camp where 40,000 recruits train annually.

Magill has a vague memory of her first time at the Live Fire course as a recruit in 2014.

“I was very tired and remember asking ‘did I do OK?’ and the instructor said ‘shoot like that, you’ll be fine.’”

Her boot camp experiences help her connect with current recruits.

“You can identify with someone that’s maybe tired or stressed or lacking confidence and understand what they're going through and say, ‘Hey, yeah, maybe I was in that space once,” Magill said.

Recruit weapons training begins during the fifth week of training when they attend the classroom portion of instruction. They learn the proper nomenclature of the M9 pistol, sight alignment, grip, shooting stance, and all safety precautions for weapons handling.

They are taught how to perform clearing barrel procedures and receive hands-on training of weapons handling.

Recruits advance to Small Arms Marksmanship Training, which begins with a range safety brief. They rotate through five stations and receive hands-on training in disassembly/reassembly of an M9 pistol, basic and advanced holster drills, deadly force training, and practicing on the Small Arms Marksmanship Trainer (SAM-T) laser range.

The final recruit weapons evaluation is conducted at Live Fire where recruits receive a safety brief before their assessment. They are evaluated on their ability to perform weapons turnover, disassemble/reassemble the M9 pistol, and finally shoot a 48-round course of fire with the chance to qualify as either a marksman, sharpshooter, or expert depending on their performance.

“Recruit weapons training is important because the skills to safely and effectively employ tactical weapons handling will make Sailors better able to save themselves, shipmates and other high-level assets,” RTC Weapons Division Officer, Lt. Jason Yan said. “Weapons training gives recruits confidence to use their weapons safely and carefully in any situation.”

Rates eligible to become weapons instructors include aviation ordnanceman, fire controlman, fire control technician, gunner’s mate, master-at-arms, mineman, sonar technician (surface), sonar technician (submarine), and torpedoman’s mate.

Qualification to become a weapons instructor involves classroom and hands-on instruction in firearms training and small-arms range operations to include weapons familiarization and qualification.

Trainees are provided the necessary knowledge and skills to instruct personnel in basic marksmanship fundamentals and qualify unit-level personnel (end-users) in the safe handling and employment of small
arms.

Instruction consists of training on the ‘Use of Force’ continuum, range operations and management, target scoring, and weapons handling safety procedures for simulator training, dry-fire training, and live fire range operations.

Additionally, trainees are provided the opportunity to act as a range safety officer (RSO) and line coach. They must complete the M9 pistol, M500 shotgun and M16/M4 rifle Computer Based Training (CBT) modules, must be current on all pistol, rifle, and shotgun qualifications, and must have obtained a minimum of sharpshooter or higher on the Navy Handgun Qualification Course and Rifle Qualification Course.

So what advice does Magill have for future RTC weapons instructors?

“I think it's a great choice to further your career,” Magill said. “There's a lot of opportunities here at RTC. Not just for this billet as a weapons instructor, but for the base as a whole.

“I would say that even though it's not what I expected it to be, it's still been educational and I've still continued to meet really great people, which is one of my favorite things about the Navy.”

Boot camp training includes physical fitness, seamanship, firearms, firefighting and shipboard damage control along with lessons in Navy heritage and core values, teamwork and discipline. About 40,000 recruits graduate annually from RTC and begin their Navy careers.

• Date Taken: 12.15.2022
• Date Posted: 12.15.2022 14:16
• Story ID: 435275
• Location: GREAT LAKES, IL, US