MAW Marksmanship Training Unit puts Marines on target

Photo By Sgt. Zach Griffith | Lance Cpl. James A Steinhaus, an instructor with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Marksmanship Training Unit, coaches a shooter on the 200-yard line.  

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

10.30.2006

Story by Lance Cpl. Zach Griffith 

III Marine Expeditionary Force   

by Lance Cpl. W. Zach Griffith
III Marine Expeditionary Force PAO

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, Japan -- When Cpl. Cesar Arriaga walked into the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing Marksmanship Training Unit in preparation for the range, he was counting on shooting marksman - again, just like his last two times qualifying. But instead of shooting a score that barely let him qualify, he walked off the range less than two weeks later with an expert score of 235.

Although it was Arriaga who actually pulled the trigger on qualification day, he credits his high score to the dedicated instruction and professionalism of the coaches in 1st MAW's newly formed Marksmanship Training Unit.

"They put me in a very relaxed, very calm environment so I could concentrate entirely on shooting," said Arriaga, an administration clerk with Marine Air Group 36. "Instead of having to worry about all the regular stuff, it was like, for those two weeks, we were paid to shoot."

Since the training unit formed in July, Cpl. Duane White, a 1st MAW MTU instructor, says he has seen a dramatic improvement in how Marines are scoring on the range.

"We used to have a fair amount of (unqualified Marines) and Marksmen, with a medium amount of sharpshooters, and a few experts," White said. "Now we're getting no (failures), a small number of marksmen, a medium number of sharpshooters and a lot of expert shooters. The experts are shooting high expert; not just barely making it."

The staff noncommissioned officer in charge of 1st MAW's MTU, Gunnery Sgt. Jamie Gibson, credits the high success rates of the shooters to the engaging personalities and teaching techniques of his nine coaches.

"None of my Marines give a class in a monotone; nobody really listens really well when someone teaches a class like that," Gibson said. "I tell them to be more personal with each shooter so they can develop a relationship. If the shooter has a good relationship with his instructor, he's a lot more apt to listen to instructions."

According to Arriaga, he developed that relationship during grass week the week prior to firing on the range and it carried all the way to qualification day. When the coaches gave him guidance on the firing line or when snapping in, he paid more attention to their advice, he said.

"We had already built that friendly relationship the week before," Arriaga said. "So once we were on the range, it wasn't like it was some random guy telling me how to shoot."

People are more likely to remember something they were taught if they remember their instructor, Gibson said.

He describes his coaches as a "fueled up, motivated bunch" who may just be a little "over the edge." But that is just the way he likes them to be and the results speak for themselves. "If the instructor maybe freaks you out a little bit, you're a lot more likely to remember him and what he taught you," Gibson said.

Getting energetic in the classroom not only helps students stay awake, but also helps the instructors stay motivated. This motivation is paramount because the Marines who come to MTU are not just in class to just learn how to qualify on the range, White said.

"We are teaching Marines the number one priority, the number one job, of all Marines," he said. "We are instilling in them the basic idea that every Marine is a rifleman."

Arriaga believes the success of the new MTU will prompt more major commands to follow in the 1st MAW's footsteps.

"Really knowing your instructors, and having your instructors really understand you as a shooter, where your strengths are, helped immensely," Arriaga said.

• Date Taken: 10.30.2006
• Date Posted: 11.06.2006 11:01
• Story ID: 8214
• Location: MARINE CORPS AIR STATION FUTENMA, OKINAWA, JP