Photo By Sgt. Shawn Valosin | A Marine with Support Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion, fires an M240B light...... read more read more
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CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The sun was beating down on them, their flak jackets and Kevlar helmets weighed them down and kept in the stifling heat, but even that couldn’t keep the Marines’ spirit down. Each service member knew their chance was coming. A chance to lay on the ground next to their brothers and send bullets screaming down range at dummy targets.
Marines with Support Company, 8th Engineer Support Battalion participated in a live-fire machine gun range aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, June 11.
The range was conducted to maintain the Marines’ proficiency with the M240B medium machine gun and .50 caliber Browning M2 heavy machine gun.
“Any of these Marines can be pulled for a deployment at any time,” said 2nd Lt. Michelle Chadwick, a motor transportation officer with Support Company. “In a combat situation, any Marine can be thrown into the turret or gun mount, whether it’s in a post or a vehicle, and they have to be able to utilize that weapon system.”
Approximately 60 Marines with the company spent the day firing at targets 300-1,200 yards away, changing barrels when necessary and rotating shooters once a Marine was done with their 50-round belt of ammunition.
Both weapon systems provide Marines with a continuous high rate of fire at long-range targets, while the 240B is smaller and lighter it can be also employed while patrolling.
“My favorite part of the range is getting to show the Marines how to shoot the M240B,” said Cpl. Devin Death, a licensing non-commissioned officer with Support Company and personnel safety officer for the range. “I’ve used it a lot and it’s just a great weapon system.”
Throughout the course of fire, Marines competed against one another for the coveted title of high shooter, with the winner getting not only bragging rights, but also a shortened work day on Friday.
“We’re in the crawl stage of the ‘crawl, walk, run phases,’” Chadwick said. “Eventually we’ll advance to [multiple cells] and use simulation rounds to add pressure … and the Marines will progress even more.”
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2015 13:49 |
| Story ID: | 166443 |
| Location: | CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 41 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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