Black Jack battalion begins certification quest

Photo By Quentin Johnson | Spc. Bobby Ward, a Van, Texas native and a cavalry scout with B Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, performs a weapons drill on the M240C Coax Machine Gun during the battalion’s gunnery sustainment training on Fort Hood, Aug. 31.  

FORT HOOD, TEXAS, UNITED STATES

09.03.2010

Story by Sgt. Quentin Johnson 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

FORT HOOD, Texas— With three weapons, multiple electronic systems and three crew positions to learn, cavalry scouts don’t just know their career field, they live it.

Cavalry scouts from the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, trained and prepped on the M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, here, on Fort Hood from Aug. 16- Sept. 3, for what will be a great challenge, qualifying in gunnery.

The three week gunnery sustainment training on the Bradley vehicles involved learning the weapons and controls, the drivers and commanders viewing systems, turret operations, and emergency procedures and driving skills, said Jerry Provo, a civilian team leader for BAE Systems.

Cavalry scouts conducted the training using classroom discussions and hands-on practical applications, he said.

In addition to preparation for gunnery, the sustainment training was a building block for new scouts and a refresher for the more experienced, said Staff Sgt. Eric McKinsey, a team chief for the New Equipment Training Company, 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, out of Fort Benning, Ga.

After five years in his career, Staff Sgt. Russell Proctor, senior scout for C Troop, 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt., said the sustainment training was very effective.

“I am still learning new things,” he said.

Effectiveness of the training comes from utilizing the train-the-trainer concept and integrated cross-training of the three positions in a Bradley crew: The driver, gunner and commander, said Proctor.

The train-the-trainer concept profits new troops most because experienced scouts can train them on a daily basis without the need of an instructor, explained Proctor

Despite having less than three years in service, Spc. Michael Fisher, a cavalry scout with B Troop, 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt., said he has trained new Soldiers utilizing skills learned during sustainment training.

According to Maj. Grant Fawcett, the operations officer for 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt., gunnery sustainment is required before all major training events and before deployment.

The 4th Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt. gunnery is scheduled to begin mid-September and end October 2010.

• Date Taken: 09.03.2010
• Date Posted: 09.09.2010 12:50
• Story ID: 55965
• Location: FORT HOOD, TEXAS, US