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    Gunner Ready

    Gunner Ready

    Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Laura Berry | JOINT BASE CAPE COD, Mass. -- On Saturday, Jan. 9, 2022, selected Soldiers from the...... read more read more

    BOURNE, MA, UNITED STATES

    01.07.2023

    Story by Sgt. 1st Class Laura Berry 

    Massachusetts National Guard Public Affairs

    Gunner Ready
    Story by Sgt. 1st Class Laura Berry
    JOINT BASE CAPE COD, Mass. -- Soldiers from the units of the 101st Engineer Battalion took advantage of a great opportunity that the Massachusetts National Guard offers on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. Their battalion coordinated with SARTS (Small Arms Readiness Training Section) Team for gunners and assistant gunners to attend some comprehensive machine gun primary marksmanship instruction (MG PMI) in the Training Support Center (TSC) at Camp Edwards.
    Any unit in the Massachusetts National Guard can get a visit from the SARTS Team during their training.
    “What they can do is reach out through their chain of command or directly to us and request assistance from us,” said Sgt. 1st Class Rich Wilson, State Training NCO, Joint Force Headquarters and member of the SARTS Team. “They need to give us what they are trying to achieve. The Unit is responsible for all the training areas and the equipment and all that stuff, and we’ll come in and we’ll assist in teaching or helping out with what they have shortfalls in.”
    The training started off with an intense and very thorough Machine Gun Theory class, where the Soldiers learned things they never even knew they needed to know about barrel changes on different weapons, engaging and suppressing the target, the different versions of the ANPVS-13 optics and the importance of using them versus iron sights, using a PAS-13 optic and switching it to different weapons systems, the amount of batteries the gunner needs to carry at all times, commands to use with the gunners and assistant gunners, firing bursts and why the amount of shots in a burst matters, using tracer ammunition to confirm by the way the bullet hits the berm if you are on target and a long list of other things.
    “I’ve done this training before, but it’s always good to do training so you can refresh your mind,” said Spc. Trevon Taylor, a combat engineer with Headquarters, Headquarters Company 101st Engineer Company. “That way you can train other people, so they can be as knowledgeable as you.”
    Spc. Woodrick Clervil, Forward Support Company, 101st Engineers, is an automated logistical specialist and has been in the Army for three years in May. He said it was his first time taking this type of training on the machine gun.
    “It has been a good experience, I’ve learned a lot,” said Clervil.
    The battalion held a similar training in 2019 and Spc. Hai Bui of HHC 101 Engineers was able to attend that one. He said doing it again was a good familiarization.
    “So far so good. I like it,” said Bui.
    Once the classroom portion of the training was completed, the Soldiers moved to the Unit Gunnery Trainer (UGT). The UGT is one of the virtual tools that Soldiers can use during their training to prepare for live fire gunnery. Although the Soldiers cannot do their official for record machine gun qualification on these simulators, this system tests Soldiers on the skills they will be evaluated on during their live fire gunnery.
    While some were on the simulator, others were testing their dry fire and PMI skills on the unit’s weapons.
    “We trained them initially on machine gun theory and understood how we employ a machine gun,” said Wilson. “We’ve talked to them about assembly and disassembly, functions check, loading and unloading of the machine gun. They are starting to work on how to manipulate the T&Es (Traverse and Elevation mechanism) so they can move the gun onto the target more rapidly. And they are working on maintenance techniques and how to shoot the UGTIs right now.”
    Spc. Sarah Brown recently joined the 189th Engineers as a heavy equipment operator. She was prior service in the Marine Corps and has not used a 50 Cal since 2012, which was before the newest version -- the M2A1 -- was introduced to the US Military.
    “Back in 2012, we used to load it when the cover was open and now you load it when its closed. So that will take some time to get used to,” she said.
    Pfc. Spencer Jacobs of HHC 101 Engineers said he learned a lot during this training.
    “I’m a hands-on learner,” he said. “Reading it out of a book and showing us pictures just doesn’t do it justice. I’ve never actually gotten a full break down, taking it apart and learning the technicalities of the weapons system.”
    Sgt. Brandon Jesus, who does survey and design with HHC 101st Engineers, has always been interested in different types of weapons, even when he was growing up, so he appreciated the extra knowledge they were being given.
    “I loved the training, it’s good to get back to the basics of the machine gun,” said Jesus.
    The SARTS Team hosts clinics throughout the year on the EST (Equipment Skills Trainer) and live fire. During the Unit Marksmanship Coordinator Conference they handed out the dates for upcoming opportunities.
    Wilson said the units should also start identifying the people that have the ability to go to some of the competitions and potentially compete.
    “When they go to competitions, the marksmanship community in the competitions work together and they share so much together,” he said.
    If a Soldier goes to the TAG Match, they shoot two more days than they would have in a regular unit’s yearly cycle, which is a great opportunity.
    “We will select the top 12-15 shooters from the TAG Match,” said Wilson. “We will bring them up to regional and national matches as well and we go for a weeklong train up in Vermont. So, five more days of shooting a lot of rounds and then another three-day regional match. Then after that, there’s a national match available – Winston P. Wilson – where we will do another four- or five-day train up in Vermont, and then send them to a five-day competition. Additionally, there’s machine gun competitions at the Wilson level, where we are going to work on at the train up in Vermont. The sniper competition was the same thing. We sent them up to a week in Vermont and they went down and shot and did really well.”
    Units and squadrons need to submit the names of the Soldiers and Airmen they would like to send to the TAG Match by mid-March, and the other competitions’ participants will be taken from the TAG Match finalists.
    “It’s not going to be the same old people going to the TAG Match,” said Wilson. “What we select are six old shooters and six new shooters.”
    Wilson says the SARTS Team’s goal is to support the Massachusetts National Guard Land Component Commander Brig. Gen. Mark Kalin’s plan of building lethality.
    “One of Brig. Gen. Kalin’s four priorities is to build that lethality, that winning at the point of contact part,” said Wilson. “Brig. Gen. Kalin wants 80% of all individual weapons qualified, a percentage of crew served and all that stuff. So, units need to start working at their individual levels with their subject matter experts, getting their people spun up on their PMI, getting good strong qualifications. We can come in and support that of course.”

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 01.07.2023
    Date Posted: 01.13.2023 12:18
    Story ID: 436745
    Location: BOURNE, MA, US

    Web Views: 191
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