Photo By Sgt. Anna Albrecht | U.S. Marine Sgt. Robert Hunt fires at a target during the tactics phase of a...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Marines with Bravo Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, participated in their third week of a close-quarters tactics course aboard Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept. 18, 2014.
This 7-week course is designed to help the Marines maintain speed and accuracy while applying close-quarter tactics before compositing with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit in October.
The CQT course is pushing the Marines to improve their skills, starting with their marksmanship and moving to more complex drills.
“This is an outstanding tool,” said Capt. John Garlasco. “We started off at the basics, just doing basic dry-fire with pistols and rifles, and now we’re moving into the more complicated stuff. Ultimately, at the end of this month-and-a-half-long package, everyone is going to be very proficient. I’ll be very confident in each individual, each team, and our platoon’s ability to accomplish whatever raid task we get put on our plate.”
Reconnaissance Marines serve as the eyes for the MEU commander. They are able to orient their operations on the enemy, collect and report information back to the commander, and make the decision to engage, avoid, or bypass.
“Having a Recon element, whether it’s a team, platoon or company, allows the MEU commander to have this fine-tuned element to be able to go accomplish reconnaissance surveillance or raids,” said Garlasco, platoon commander for 1st Platoon, Bravo Co., 1st Recon Bn. “He has a mature, physically fit team that can pretty much accomplish anything he can come up with.”
Cpl. Cody Lambson, 22, a Reconnaissance Marine from Phoenix, Ariz., said the training they go through sets them apart from other units.
“We’re given a lot of responsibility,” said Lambson. “The more responsibility we get makes us a little bit stronger and makes us rise to the occasion.”
Garlasco said the Bravo Co. Marines' constant effort throughout the training impressed him.
“I think the maturity, the willingness to work hard, and the intelligence of all the Marines is phenomenal,” said Garlasco. “Ultimately, their professionalism and their ability for them to identify what they need to work on, on an individual and team level, continue to get better through every iteration out here.”
The countless hours on the range are paying off as the Marines see themselves become more proficient.
“We’re improving by leaps and bounds every single day,” said Lambson. “We have an instructor that likes to say we go through valleys and peaks. Every time we learn something new, we’re in a valley, we’re going down; taking it slow and building. Once we master that skill, we get to rise and compound each skill up and up.”
Lambson said he is looking forward to the upcoming training as they progressively add more elements.
“Eventually we’ll be able to come in here with night-vision goggles with the entire platoon and take down a whole warehouse,” said Lambson. “It’s going to take a long time to get the that point. Right now we’re at baby steps.”
After they complete this course, these Marines will move on to more and more complex, larger scale training events that will improve their skills and further integrate them into the 15th MEU as they gear up for deployment.
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 09.19.2014 17:11 |
| Story ID: | 142778 |
| Location: | CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | PHOENIX, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 380 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
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