SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. - Camp San Luis Obispo Range, with its mild climate and abundant training area, was the location of the 11th Military Police Brigade’s semiannual range qualification for the M16 and M9 weapon systems from Sept. 13-14. The weapon training systems provided highly realistic training for the U.S. Army Reserve soldiers – without compromising safety.
As with any type of military training, safety and preparation was key.
Staff Sgt. Omar Galindo, Collective Training Center CSLO, began the training by qualifying all the noncommissioned officers as range safety officers in a range safety brief which covered risk management, danger zones, range geography, wildlife and emergency medical care.
Staff Sgt. Jose Mendez, training noncommissioned officer from Moreno Valley, Calif., was a major component of the training event. He mentioned that the tireless efforts of his troops helped the 45 soldiers qualify on two weapons systems.
“Soldiers should always be familiar with their weapons,” said Mendez, who has served for 19 years in the Army. “This range was no doubt a success. Everyone worked together and ensured that the workload was evenly distributed so that we could maintain a safe and effective range.”
All soldiers in the brigade are required to qualify on the range in order to ensure readiness, regardless of scheduled deployments or orders. Marksmanship is a basic soldiering skill and for some their most challenging task.
“I teach each soldier to relax,” said Master Sgt. Terrance Collins, intelligence noncommissioned officer, who conducted preliminary marksmanship instruction for the M9 range. “The soldiers are not in Afghanistan or Iraq, therefore they can take their time and shoot while keeping in mind all the fundamentals of marksmanship.”
According to Collins, soldiers on all skill levels qualified, to include some who hadn’t ever used the M9 weapon before.
“Everyone had fun and we had no incidents, so at the end of the day, I can say this training was awesome,” said Collins.