Andvaced weapons course offers relevant shooting fundamentals
MARINE AIR GROUND TASK FORCE TRAINING CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. (April 27, 2006) -- Ready… Aim… Fire. Those three simple words become a lot more complex if your target has a weapon.
The Enhanced Marksmanship Program provides Marines, as well as the sailors who deploy with them, valuable training on how to shoot effectively in close quarters.
http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/F2083361E865D2118525715D00597F68?opendocument
Submitted by: MCB Camp Pendleton
Story Identification #: 2006427121733
Story by Lance Cpl. Ben Eberle
“You’re (rarely) 300 yards away when fighting in urban areas; you’re always going room-to-room,” said Cpl. David R. Myles, an EMP instructor with 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment.
Myles helped train 54 Marines and sailors in enhanced marksmanship techniques during a week of field training at Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Center Twentynine Palms April 9-14.
Twentynine Palms is not the only installation that offers this shooting course.
It is also available at Division Schools and the School of Infantry, Camp Pendleton.
All EMP firing is conducted in combat gear, including Kevlar helmet, flak jacket, ammo pouches and even night vision goggles.
“It’s combat, not match, shooting,” said the 21-year-old from Landover, Md.
Participants fire from 30 yards to less than 10 feet from the target, moving closer as the shooting progresses.
Shooters focus their aim on high-percentage locations, concentrating mostly on the head. Getting the shots off quickly is imperative.
“It’s something you can’t learn in a classroom, the movements and coordination. You have to do it to learn,” Myles said.
Every section in the battalion was represented, including administration clerks and corpsmen. They fired about one-thousand rounds during two days of EMP training.
It’s important that all servicemembers regardless of their military occupational specialty, hone their close-quarter marksmanship skills because they support those on the line, Myles said.
Marines receive instruction on specific scenarios they might encounter in Iraq, as well as some short classes on how to adjust gear and move swiftly and efficiently into an effective shooting position.
“Confidence is important in a close-quarter shootout,” Myles said. “You’re not shooting at paper anymore; there’s someone shooting back at you. You have to be comfortable.”
Some Marines, even those who had previous EMP training, voiced positive feedback on the course.
“This is my third time (taking the EMP course), and I still like it,” said Lance Cpl. Quinn Aboudora, a supply clerk with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines. “It’s nice to get all those rounds off.”