thedrifter
03-20-09, 03:40 PM
CENTRAL TRAINING AREA, Okinawa (March 20, 2009) -- By 11 a.m. seven Marines were covered in gun oil and sweat. Six stood stacked behind the first Marine who carried a protective shield; all were poised to strike.
The shieldman called 'contact front' and instantly the six jumped from behind the shield, formed a line and eliminated the enemy. During the Close Quarters Battle training, the Special Reaction Team Marines, a small, tactical unit part of Marine Corps Base Camp Butler's Provost Marshall's Office, practiced their precision marksmanship skills with both the M9 pistol and the M4 rifle at the firing ranges of the Central Training Area March 11.
"We're basically a military SWAT team," said SRT assistant team leader, Sgt. Michael Loughrie, referring to civilian police force Special Weapons and Tactics teams. "We handle any special threats that the average military policeman are not trained for," he said.
According to SRT team leader, Sgt. John Rosales, precision marksmanship is considered one of the most important aspects of SRT's mission because of the high probability of a close-quarters confrontation.
"As an instructor I'm not satisfied until every member blows out the center of the target," Rosales said. "We need to cut reaction time down and make every round hit a vital area because it could be the difference in life and death."
Close-quarter battle skills are essential in a multitude of scenarios including hostage situations and approaching barricaded suspects.
"This training is used for any type of building take down," Rosales said. "It's important when you're going to come in contact with an enemy within 10 meters or less."
According to Rosales, SRT members must make fast and smart decisions. While engaging the enemy, team members must be able to transition from the rifle to the pistol.
"This should help cut reaction time drastically while still hitting the target area," he said. "They will be able to more successfully move through a situation with confidence and build unit cohesion at the same time."
Though SRT tactics can apply in combat situations, especially urban combat scenarios, team members describe it as something short of full-scale combat.
"Everything we do is on a smaller scale, which means every little move could save you or your buddy's life," said Lance Cpl. Jonathan Devries, a breacher for SRT.
Team members repeated the training scenarios several times to sharpen skills and fine-tune their reaction capability, Rosales said. The team conducts specialized training regularly to stay current in their trade.
"Hopefully this gave them a firm and solid understanding of the fundamentals that can assure success," Rosales said. "It's a never ending process because proficiency comes with repetition."
The shieldman called 'contact front' and instantly the six jumped from behind the shield, formed a line and eliminated the enemy. During the Close Quarters Battle training, the Special Reaction Team Marines, a small, tactical unit part of Marine Corps Base Camp Butler's Provost Marshall's Office, practiced their precision marksmanship skills with both the M9 pistol and the M4 rifle at the firing ranges of the Central Training Area March 11.
"We're basically a military SWAT team," said SRT assistant team leader, Sgt. Michael Loughrie, referring to civilian police force Special Weapons and Tactics teams. "We handle any special threats that the average military policeman are not trained for," he said.
According to SRT team leader, Sgt. John Rosales, precision marksmanship is considered one of the most important aspects of SRT's mission because of the high probability of a close-quarters confrontation.
"As an instructor I'm not satisfied until every member blows out the center of the target," Rosales said. "We need to cut reaction time down and make every round hit a vital area because it could be the difference in life and death."
Close-quarter battle skills are essential in a multitude of scenarios including hostage situations and approaching barricaded suspects.
"This training is used for any type of building take down," Rosales said. "It's important when you're going to come in contact with an enemy within 10 meters or less."
According to Rosales, SRT members must make fast and smart decisions. While engaging the enemy, team members must be able to transition from the rifle to the pistol.
"This should help cut reaction time drastically while still hitting the target area," he said. "They will be able to more successfully move through a situation with confidence and build unit cohesion at the same time."
Though SRT tactics can apply in combat situations, especially urban combat scenarios, team members describe it as something short of full-scale combat.
"Everything we do is on a smaller scale, which means every little move could save you or your buddy's life," said Lance Cpl. Jonathan Devries, a breacher for SRT.
Team members repeated the training scenarios several times to sharpen skills and fine-tune their reaction capability, Rosales said. The team conducts specialized training regularly to stay current in their trade.
"Hopefully this gave them a firm and solid understanding of the fundamentals that can assure success," Rosales said. "It's a never ending process because proficiency comes with repetition."