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Marines with Bravo Company, 2nd Law Enforcement Battalion prepare to fire tracer rounds from AT-4 rocket launchers at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, N.C. June 3, 2016. The unit took to the firing line to broaden their mission capabilities and prepare for real world scenarios.

Photo by Cpl. Dalton Precht

Rockets away: 2nd LEB takes to the firing line

7 Jun 2016 | Cpl. Dalton Precht The Official United States Marine Corps Public Website

Marines with Bravo Company, 2nd Law Enforcement Battalion took to the firing line with the AT-4 rocket launcher at Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, June 3, 2016.

The unit conducted the range in order to bolster their mission capabilities and expeditionary readiness across the unit.

“This is the first chance in a long time that we’ve had to shoot the AT-4,” said 1st Lt. Ethan Sarrell, the officer in charge of the range, from Bravo Co., 2nd LEB, “This is good sustainment training for our Marines and a morale booster.”

During the training, the Marines of Bravo Co. fired 15 AT-4 rockets at simulated enemy tanks to prepare them for real world scenarios. 

“We deal with a lot of security operations abroad and this requires us to use ordinance that normal line companies would use,” said Sarrell. “We don’t do normal policing operations [while forward] and we might encounter an enemy vehicle that would require a rocket to take it down.”

The one-day range gave many of the Marines the opportunity to fire the weapon for the first time. To prepare them, personnel safety officers guided them through the use of the AT-4.

Cpl. Aaron Laverdure, one of the personnel safety officers for the AT-4 range from 2nd LEB, was in charge of instructing the Marines on the proper firing procedures and remedial action methods. 

“Before firing the rocket, we went over all the [safety procedures] of the weapon,” said Lavendure. “I showed them the correct firing position and what to do if the weapon failed to fire.”

With Bravo Co. getting ready for any real world contingencies this means for some it’s time to step out of their comfort zones. 

“It was the first time for most of the Marines out here,” said Lavendure. “We need to be proficient in all weapon systems. Our company is a warfighting company and we need to know how to handle potential tools of the trade.”

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