thedrifter
03-19-09, 07:36 AM
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C —
Every Marine is a rifleman. Not every Marine has a love for shooting.
Marine Pvt. Alexandra L. Wetzel, comptroller clerk, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, found that love the first time she picked up her M16 A2 service rifle in boot camp.
The Bradenton, Fla. native had never fired a weapon before her first encounter on the rifle range at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
“I had never seen or held a rifle in person,” she said. “The closest thing I had ever held to a weapon was a kitchen knife. I had never even fired a paintball gun.”
Wetzel said although she was nervous the first time she picked up her rifle, she soon felt a natural comfort with the weapon.
“The first time I picked up the weapon I was shaking because I’d never shot before and was sure I was going to shoot someone,” she said.
Although she had no previous experience firing a weapon, Wetzel was able to put aside her nervousness and qualify as an expert rifleman and find a love for shooting.
“It’s fun, it’s hard and not many people can do it,” she said. “It’s what the Marine Corps is all about. I think it’s something everyone should know how to do.”
Wetzel not only found her love for shooting in the Marine Corps but also a unique sense of camaraderie and trust.
She applies that camaraderie and trust as she competes in the individual and team qualification during the Competition-In-Arms-Program 2009 Division Match, her first shooting competition, March 16- April 3.
“You have to be able to trust your rifle,” she explained. “You have to trust that your rifle won’t fail. You have to trust people around you that they won’t fail. It’s putting trust in other things and not just in yourself, it’s being part of a team.”
Every Marine is a rifleman. Not every Marine has a love for shooting.
Marine Pvt. Alexandra L. Wetzel, comptroller clerk, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, found that love the first time she picked up her M16 A2 service rifle in boot camp.
The Bradenton, Fla. native had never fired a weapon before her first encounter on the rifle range at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C.
“I had never seen or held a rifle in person,” she said. “The closest thing I had ever held to a weapon was a kitchen knife. I had never even fired a paintball gun.”
Wetzel said although she was nervous the first time she picked up her rifle, she soon felt a natural comfort with the weapon.
“The first time I picked up the weapon I was shaking because I’d never shot before and was sure I was going to shoot someone,” she said.
Although she had no previous experience firing a weapon, Wetzel was able to put aside her nervousness and qualify as an expert rifleman and find a love for shooting.
“It’s fun, it’s hard and not many people can do it,” she said. “It’s what the Marine Corps is all about. I think it’s something everyone should know how to do.”
Wetzel not only found her love for shooting in the Marine Corps but also a unique sense of camaraderie and trust.
She applies that camaraderie and trust as she competes in the individual and team qualification during the Competition-In-Arms-Program 2009 Division Match, her first shooting competition, March 16- April 3.
“You have to be able to trust your rifle,” she explained. “You have to trust that your rifle won’t fail. You have to trust people around you that they won’t fail. It’s putting trust in other things and not just in yourself, it’s being part of a team.”