Small Arms Leaders Clinic improve unit readiness for Guard

Photo By Staff Sgt. Tori Miller | Participants of the Small Arms Leaders Clinic receive instruction on proper combat techniques during exercises involving the M4 rifle at Fort Stewart, Ga. on March 20, 2019. The instructors of the Small Arms Leaders Clinic are subject matter experts in marksmanship and are composed of soldiers from the Georgia National Marksmanship Team, the Combat Leaders Academy and volunteers from the Georgia State Defense Force. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Spc. Tori Miller.  

FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, UNITED STATES

03.21.2019

Story by Spc. Tori Miller 

Georgia National Guard

The Georgia Army National Guard's Combat Leaders Academy and Georgia Garrison Training Center hosted the annual Small Arms Leaders Clinic at Fort Stewart, Ga., March 18-22, 2019.

The event hosted 41 individual participants trained on various marksmanship techniques by instructors of the Georgia National Guard Marksmanship Team, Combat Leaders Academy and volunteers from the Georgia State Defense Force. The course included advanced training on the M4 rifle and the M9 pistol.

“The purpose of this course is to teach noncommissioned officers a better way to instruct their soldiers and teach them advanced concepts that they wouldn’t necessarily get in standardized training,” said 2nd Lt. Michael Makropoulos, Georgia State Defense Force. “There are two main goals we hope participants have, the first is to make them better shooters both structurally and concept-wise and the second is to give them instruction techniques so they can go back and teach their soldiers.”

The instructors of the Georgia National Guard Marksmanship team share their skills and use their experience to train participants on combat techniques to better improve student's accuracy and speed on weapons such as the M4 rifle and M9 pistol. The goal of the Clinic is to improve a soldier’s lethality and personal safety during combat.

“I have learned many different techniques on how to teach my soldiers how to perfect fundamentals,” said Staff Sgt. Caitlin Taylor, attendee of the Small Arms Leaders Clinic and representative of the Monroe-based 178th Military Police Company. “I plant to take this back to my unit and utilize the soldiers that I brought with me to the Small Arms Leaders Clinic to help me teach what we have learned here.”

Each instructor for the course has a background in marksmanship and is considered a subject matter expert. The instructors attend certification courses and have previously attended the courses they now teach.

“This is an opportunity to share my knowledge, and I like to see people grow,” said Staff Sgt. Troy Mayfield, a competitor for the Georgia National Guard Marksmanship Team and representative of the Elberton-based 1st Battalion, 214th Field Artillery Regiment. “I actually learn something new about being a teacher every time I teach this course, and this is my third time.”

The Georgia National Guard Marksmanship Team uses this instructional time on the course as practice before the Winston P. Wilson National Championships, beginning in April and running through May 2019. Teaching the course allows the instructors to put into practice the skills and techniques they utilize during competition.

“Courses like this allow me to hone my skills on the alternate events,” said Staff Sgt. Christopher Wray, a competitor for the Georgia National Marksmanship Team and representative of the Forsyth-based 2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment. “While we can train our skills here, it allows us to teach and talk through some of the issues that we may have. It can better prepare us for when we get to the competition.

• Date Taken: 03.21.2019
• Date Posted: 03.21.2019 16:59
• Story ID: 315212
• Location: FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US