MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina -- Marines with Headquarters and Service Company, 2nd Tank Battalion honed their firepower capabilities during a machine gun range at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, April 29.
The company divided its sections into three groups that, over the course of two weeks, would utilize the vast training area of SR-10 to become more proficient with using the M240B medium machine gun and .50-caliber machine gun.
“The first day, we shot with our tripods both day and night, and then more recently mounted them on top of our Humvees,” said Lance Cpl. Casey Hall, a motor transport vehicle operator with the company.
The previous sessions with the weapon systems left Marines feeling prepared to conduct several run-throughs of navigating the range and its targets from within a Humvee on the move.
The range demanded more than just marksmanship skills, with the responsibilities of the driver and radio operators accompanying him being an integral part of the range as well.
“This is the type of training to help us know what to do if we ever find ourselves facing any enemy in the future,” Hall said.
Other Marines in the company regarded the exercise as necessary following the previous deactivation of the battalion’s Charlie Company, and something that will allow the Marines of the battalion to maintain readiness despite the shrink in size.
“For me as a tanker, driving the Humvee is different, along with using tracer rounds to spot your targets and not the tools in the tank,” said Lance Cpl. Cody Nagy, a tank crewman with the company. “But with the loss of one of our tank companies, we need more of our Marines better prepared to accurately engage targets.”
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