Photo Information

Sgt. Rico L. Rose clears the back-blast area during a simulated PL-87 Stinger missile shoot during a 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion’s section leader course and team leader course at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., Sept. 11, 2014. Rose is a gunner with the battalion and a native of Appomattox, Va.

Photo by Cpl. J. R. Heins

2nd LAAD section, team leaders refine skills, enhance abilities

17 Sep 2014 | Cpl. J. R. Heins The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines with 2nd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion’s section leader course and team leader course combined during a final exercise at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina., Sept. 10.
The battalion's section and team leader courses are both three weeks long. They are designed to serve as a refresher on the fundamentals of the Marines military occupational specialty and to standardize training across the battalion’s batteries. 

Ten students in the battalion’s team leader course and five Marines in the section leader course participated in the exercise. The purpose was to hone skills, which support their primary mission by conducting a simulated PL-87 Stinger missile shoot.

“The course was very effective in assisting us with sustaining the basics, so when we all return to our different batteries we’ll be more effective when working together during larger operations,” said Lance Cpl. Ian M. Keysur, a gunner in the battalion’s team leader course. 

Many of the Marines in the courses held the billets of team and section leaders prior to arriving at the course and are fine-tuning their skills with the knowledge learned during the course. 

“The entire first week of both courses consisted of joint range extension application protocol training,” said Keysur, a native of Fort Lee, Virginia. “It is a very complicated system, which extends the range of a tactical data link by allowing data messages to be transmitted over satellite links.” 

After JREAP, the two courses spilt and completed separate criteria during weeks two and three of the courses, meeting again only for the culminating event where the section leaders worked with the team leaders to complete a simulated mission and training at the Stinger missile range. 

“These courses require Marines to apply everything they have been taught,” said Sgt. Ben W. Cole, instructor with the battalion and native of Linden, Mich. “These courses set a solid foundation for the Marines in their careers, which they can use as a building block to further their readiness.” 

According to Cole, each team and section leader needs to be able to convince the instructors they can handle a team or section in a combat environment. 

“As an instructor it is a great opportunity to see these Marines grow in such a short amount of time,” said Cole. “I am proud to be able to see first hand the bright minds and future of the MOS.”