Photo By Lance Cpl. Isaiah Gomez | Staff members with Weapons Training Battalion (WTBN), Marine Corps Installations...... read more read more
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From the jungles of Vietnam to the sands of Desert Storm, the U.S. Marine Corps M40 rifle has earned its reputation on the battlefield in the skillful hands of Marine scout-snipers. To recognize the M40 with the Redfield 3x9x40 scope for its significant historical impacts, Weapons Training Battalion (WTBN), Marine Corps Installations East-Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, established the call word "Redfield" for its battalion firing desk during a renaming ceremony on Stone Bay, Feb. 19, 2021. The firing desk serves as the coordination, access, and control of personnel and aircraft within the range training areas.
Range Control departments and firing desks across the Department of Defense use call words when communicating. Several examples of this practice already in place across the Marine Corps include MCB Camp Lejeune's "Blackburn", Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms’ call word “Bearmat” and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton’s call word “Longrifle.”
Call words are a standardized practice that ensures safe and recognizable communication during live-fire operations. WTBN specializes in marksmanship, and therefore selected the Redfield 3x9x40 scope for its historical impacts. It was used by Sgt. Charles "Chuck" Mawhinney, who holds the Corps' record for the most confirmed sniper kills during the Vietnam War. Mawhinney recorded 103 confirmed kills and 216 probable kills during his 16 months in Vietnam.
“This is history we must remember; marksmanship is our blood as Marines, and WTBN is the life blood of our marksmanship community,” said retired U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan K. Zickefoose. “We must remember where we came from, those marksmanship skills we’ve honed over the many years, we must continue to grow and make them better.”
Mawhinney, son of a World War II Marine Corps veteran, joined the Corps in June 1967 and attended Scout Sniper School in April 1968.
During an interview with Los Angeles Times, Mawhinney sought to change the public perception about snipers, who he maintains save lives by sapping the enemy's will to fight. "My rules of engagement were simple: if they had a weapon, they were going down."
According to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Eric M. Brown, an infantry weapons officer and gunner with WTBN, they hope when Marines hear “Redfield”, it will lead them to remember and recognize Mawhinney for his accomplishments.
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2021 08:34 |
| Story ID: | 389590 |
| Location: | STONE BAY, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 617 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, WTBN establishes call word “Redfield” for battalion firing desk during renaming ceremony, by LCpl Isaiah Gomez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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