Photo By Cpl. Michael Dye | An M777A2 howitzer that Marines with 10th Marine Regiment operate during a sections...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - The section chief in training yells to the gun crew, ‘Fire mission received.’ Immediately, the Marines operating the howitzer jump into action preparing for the next command. The section chief gives the crew the coordinates and what round to load. He verifies the round is loaded correctly, and then gives the command they are waiting on, “FIRE!”
Marines with 10 Marine Regiment conducted a knowledge-filled course to become section chiefs within their units aboard Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Oct. 9-15. These students were hand selected by their commands to be responsible for the accurate and safe operations of the M777A2 howitzer.
“We are practicing fire missions,” said Cpl. William Shoemaker, a section chief student with 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment. “We are receiving these missions electronically and then it’s just us, the section chief, giving commands straight to the gun.”
Although no live rounds were fired, the Marines treated each fire mission seriously and moved with intensity to quickly and accurately operate the over 9,000 pound cannon.
“[This] course is teaching us what the next step [is] from being a gunner - taking on the responsibility of the entire gun,” said Cpl. Stephen Storch, a section chief student with 1st Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment.
Being a section chief is not just a billet that these Marines are training for and it’s not just making sure the weapon is being fired properly and safely; it can mean life or death.
“One thing I’ve taken from this course is the amount of responsibility that you, as a section chief, assume while you are in the leadership position,” Storch said. “It’s about making sure the Marines under your command are taken care of and have the knowledge to operate the weapon.”
The section chief is responsible for ensuring that the appropriate round is fired, the gun is aimed at the right target, the maintenance is up-to-date on the weapon and the Marines under him are properly trained and ready to deploy.
“[The section chief] is making sure everything is getting done to conduct the fire mission,” Storch said. “It can be a lot of pressure. If something goes wrong it falls on the section chief’s shoulders, but at the same time if everything goes smoothly and successful, it also looks good for him.”
Although the course is teaching them how to be section chiefs, it is also molding them into better leaders, which helps drive 2nd Marine Division’s mission to maintain a disciplined and accountable force, and to fight and win as a division.
“Another thing our instructors are doing is giving us guidance and lessons on how to properly take care of the Marines under you,” Shoemaker said. “If [the section chief] has trained the Marines to do the right thing, not only with the gun, but with anything, then when he’s not around he can rely on the Marines to always do the right thing, which helps us maintain readiness.”
The newly trained section chiefs, with the information and skills they have received, will prove good mentors for junior Marines at their respective commands and ensure the proper training of new Marines arriving at the unit.
“Section chief’s course went really well,” Storch said. “It was a great opportunity to come to the class and get some valuable knowledge that I can take back to my unit.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2015 19:39 |
| Story ID: | 179238 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 74 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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