MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina -- The sound of rifles, shotguns and shouts of, “Gas! Gas! Gas!” echoed through the air as Marines with 2nd Intelligence Battalion participated in a three-day field exercise aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 6 – 8, 2015.
The exercise familiarized the Marines with the M1014 tactical shotgun, proper use of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense equipment and fulfilled annual professional military education requirements to include combat marksmanship training.
“At 2nd Intelligence Battalion, we are focusing on [military occupational specialty] training,” said Maj. William Deleal, an operations officer with the battalion. “It’s mostly Marines with intelligence specialties that we focus our entire field training on. At certain points throughout the year, we have to come back and readdress our common skills and core competencies.”
The Marines participated in combat marksmanship training using M16s and M4s firearms during day and night shoots, something many of the Marines had not done since Marine Combat Training. They were also introduced to the M1014 shotgun to learn its proper usage especially how the recoil of the weapon affects its employment.
“These Marines can be on the frontlines with the infantry,” said Lance Cpl. Rodolfo Vargas, an intelligence specialist with the unit. “We don’t want to have to depend on infantry Marines to carry out the mission. We have this training to give us confidence so at the end of the day, we can come home.”
The chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear warfare training gave the Marines a better appreciation for the effort it takes to apply CBRN defense techniques properly.
The exercise gave Marines an opportunity to gain experience in a field environment, away from their usual workspaces, and to get weapons training they do not receive on a yearly basis.
“We spend a lot of time behind computers and sophisticated machinery doing analysis and that takes a long time,” said Deleal, a native of St. Louis, Missouri. “It can take us away from some of the experiences we have in the field. We become comfortable with our analytic software, our analytic machinery, but what we can’t become uncomfortable with are the weapon systems that we have.”