thedrifter
02-20-03, 05:43 PM
Newly Enlisted take aim at future in Corps
Submitted by: 4th Marine Corps District
Story Identification Number: 200322015813
Story by Sgt. Nathaniel T. Garcia
PERRYSBURG RESERVE CENTER, Perrysburg, Ohio ?(Feb 20, 2003) -- As local reservists prepare for the call to active service and deployment, another group of young people unfamiliar with military life converged on the Perrysburg Reserve Center for some preparation of their own.
Local enlistees joined their Marine Corps Recruiters at the Perrysburg Reserve Center Feb. 8 for a little training in Marine Corps weaponry, marksmanship, history and daily living.
?We have these meetings once a month to build camaraderie among the enlistees and educate them about the things they will encounter at basic training,? said Staff Sgt. Dave Pierson, a recruiter from Recruiting Station Monroe and native of Livonia, Mich. ?Also a majority of our enlistees are going into the infantry field and all will have to qualify with the rifle in order to complete recruit training. So it?s a good thing to get them experienced and exposed to weapons so they are not afraid of them when they start training.?
However as the day began and the approximately 53 enlistees listened to weapons classes and received their safety brief, fear was last thing they were feeling. Many of the new enlistees were eager and excited about handling the M-16A2 assault rifle, M-203 grenade launcher, and M-240G medium machine gun. For some it was their first time with a weapon, and they experienced some discomfort when trying to aim and hold the weapon. Those who handled a rifle while hunting took to the weapons with ease.
?I wish I had one of these in my basement,? said Drew Henson, 22, a native of Chelsea, Mich., who according to the Indoor Simulator Marksmanship Trainer, could use more training.
The Indoor Simulator Marksmanship Trainer or ISMT is used to train personnel indoors on a projection screen with real weapons modified specifically for the screen. This simulator gives the weapon handler a chance to get familiar with the weight and feel of live fire. However a long hose attached to a tank of carbon dioxide gas is actually responsible for the weapon?s recoil and not live rounds.
On the screen in front of the shooters, a recorded battlefield scenario plays to simulate offensive and defensive maneuvering. The shooters take aim and fire using teamwork and marksmanship skills taught by their instructors.
?This machine once again allows the enlistees to get familiar with Marine Corps weaponry,? said Pierson. ?Plus it shows them the importance of teamwork on the battlefield in order to accomplish the mission. We all had fun though. Some kids obviously feel more natural with a weapon than others but they all got to play and they all had a good time.?
The good times did not seem to end even when lunch was served. Meals-Ready to Eat were on the menu today. At first, some of the enlistees seemed reluctant to eat as they strained and struggled to open the vacuum-sealed plastic packages that contained a mushy mess that barely resembled anything edible. Some sniffed at it, while others poked at it with their plastic forks.
One by one, however, they began to eat; and surprisingly, to most it wasn?t that bad.
?It?s not that bad,? said John Casey, 17, a senior at North Baltimore High School and native of North Baltimore, Ohio. ?It?s not like home cooking, but it will work.?
While some ate and others continued to try their skills at the ISMT, several of the local reservists preparing for possible deployment during their one drill weekend this month came by and talked to the enlistees, not as a recruiter, but as peers who have made the same choice to join the Marine Corps.
?We had a question and answered period, and we tried to keep the recruiters from talking and get some of the reservists to tell their personal stories of what basic training was like,? said Pierson. ?This way they can hear it from someone else other than their recruiter.?
At least once a month, the recruiters bring their new-joins together for different events and functions like physical fitness tests, bowling, soccer, football, and laser tag.
?Bringing them together like this shows them that there are other people just like them from their hometown who will be there too,? said Pierson. ?And right here is where we start to build the camaraderie that the Marine Corps is known for.?
The Drifter
Submitted by: 4th Marine Corps District
Story Identification Number: 200322015813
Story by Sgt. Nathaniel T. Garcia
PERRYSBURG RESERVE CENTER, Perrysburg, Ohio ?(Feb 20, 2003) -- As local reservists prepare for the call to active service and deployment, another group of young people unfamiliar with military life converged on the Perrysburg Reserve Center for some preparation of their own.
Local enlistees joined their Marine Corps Recruiters at the Perrysburg Reserve Center Feb. 8 for a little training in Marine Corps weaponry, marksmanship, history and daily living.
?We have these meetings once a month to build camaraderie among the enlistees and educate them about the things they will encounter at basic training,? said Staff Sgt. Dave Pierson, a recruiter from Recruiting Station Monroe and native of Livonia, Mich. ?Also a majority of our enlistees are going into the infantry field and all will have to qualify with the rifle in order to complete recruit training. So it?s a good thing to get them experienced and exposed to weapons so they are not afraid of them when they start training.?
However as the day began and the approximately 53 enlistees listened to weapons classes and received their safety brief, fear was last thing they were feeling. Many of the new enlistees were eager and excited about handling the M-16A2 assault rifle, M-203 grenade launcher, and M-240G medium machine gun. For some it was their first time with a weapon, and they experienced some discomfort when trying to aim and hold the weapon. Those who handled a rifle while hunting took to the weapons with ease.
?I wish I had one of these in my basement,? said Drew Henson, 22, a native of Chelsea, Mich., who according to the Indoor Simulator Marksmanship Trainer, could use more training.
The Indoor Simulator Marksmanship Trainer or ISMT is used to train personnel indoors on a projection screen with real weapons modified specifically for the screen. This simulator gives the weapon handler a chance to get familiar with the weight and feel of live fire. However a long hose attached to a tank of carbon dioxide gas is actually responsible for the weapon?s recoil and not live rounds.
On the screen in front of the shooters, a recorded battlefield scenario plays to simulate offensive and defensive maneuvering. The shooters take aim and fire using teamwork and marksmanship skills taught by their instructors.
?This machine once again allows the enlistees to get familiar with Marine Corps weaponry,? said Pierson. ?Plus it shows them the importance of teamwork on the battlefield in order to accomplish the mission. We all had fun though. Some kids obviously feel more natural with a weapon than others but they all got to play and they all had a good time.?
The good times did not seem to end even when lunch was served. Meals-Ready to Eat were on the menu today. At first, some of the enlistees seemed reluctant to eat as they strained and struggled to open the vacuum-sealed plastic packages that contained a mushy mess that barely resembled anything edible. Some sniffed at it, while others poked at it with their plastic forks.
One by one, however, they began to eat; and surprisingly, to most it wasn?t that bad.
?It?s not that bad,? said John Casey, 17, a senior at North Baltimore High School and native of North Baltimore, Ohio. ?It?s not like home cooking, but it will work.?
While some ate and others continued to try their skills at the ISMT, several of the local reservists preparing for possible deployment during their one drill weekend this month came by and talked to the enlistees, not as a recruiter, but as peers who have made the same choice to join the Marine Corps.
?We had a question and answered period, and we tried to keep the recruiters from talking and get some of the reservists to tell their personal stories of what basic training was like,? said Pierson. ?This way they can hear it from someone else other than their recruiter.?
At least once a month, the recruiters bring their new-joins together for different events and functions like physical fitness tests, bowling, soccer, football, and laser tag.
?Bringing them together like this shows them that there are other people just like them from their hometown who will be there too,? said Pierson. ?And right here is where we start to build the camaraderie that the Marine Corps is known for.?
The Drifter