September 9, 2015 -- Marines with
Company A, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, conducted weapons
familiarization training at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Sept
9, 2015.
The exercise
was used to build basic infantry skills for an upcoming deployment with a
Marine Expeditionary Unit. A MEU is a Marine Air-Ground Task Force comprised of
approximately 2,400 Marines and sailors on various Navy ships with the purpose
of working with partner nations and can act as a quick reaction force to
natural disasters and real world contingencies.
“We are
getting guys back to their infantry basics, fire and maneuver and weapons
handling,” said Staff Sgt. Nathan Kerr, a dive team leader with Company A, 1st
Recon Bn. “As reconnaissance Marines we are held to a higher standard as
advanced warfighters, but it is the basics that matter most.”
The weapons
familiarization training began with basic rifle and pistol techniques then
progressed to immediate action drills.
“A lot of
these guys are fresh from [Basic Reconnaissance Course] so we want to make sure
they have all the fundamentals down before we move on,” said Sgt. Kevin
Tasanassanta, a radio telephone operator with Company A, 1st Recon Bn.
Marines new
to the reconnaissance field have many advantages during training.
“A positive
thing about having so many [Marines] straight out of BRC, is they are young
minds without any bad habits,” said Kerr. “They are sponges when it comes to
picking up the basic infantry task, and they will gain the lacking experience
over time.”
Since many
Marines in Company A are recent graduates of BRC and have only been with the
unit for a few months, they are still building the strong brotherhood needed to
accomplish difficult missions.
“We are
using this training to start building relationships with each other and get
comfortable with the basics,” said Tasanassanta. “Right now we are in the crawl
phase, and by the time we get to the run phase our teamwork and muscle memory
will be fluent.”
Teamwork is
emphasized from a Marine’s first day of recruit training to the day they leave
the Corps. When a new member arrives at BRC, team building skills are
exponentially emphasized as they grow as a group throughout the course to
prepare them for the fleet.
“Brotherhood
is one of our mantras,” said Kerr. “Just because I haven’t worked with you
doesn’t mean I won’t have your back in a firefight and I have no qualm or
question about him doing the same.”
Building a
solid base of infantry fundamentals and bonding closer as a team increases 1st
Marine Division’s ability as a ground combat element to execute expeditionary
and amphibious operations.