INDIAN OCEAN -- Marines with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s command element sustained their shooting abilities while on board USS Bonhomme Richard Nov. 8.
“Everybody needs a refresher,” said Cpl. Adam D. Ellis, a radio operator from Memphis, Tenn. “These shoots remind me that I’m a rifleman first.”
Marines began by firing to ensure their sights were correctly aligned. They zeroed their sights for combat by firing on targets 15 meters away. The targets were a few inches in diameter, simulating larger targets 300 meters away.
Marines shot from various positions at larger targets, green silhouettes the size of a grown individual, from 15 meters and closer, testing accuracy and speed.
Sometimes they fired while walking toward their targets on the ship’s rails.
“These are the basics, but the basics are everything,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Gary L. Reed, from Wheeling, WV. “Shooting is a tangible skill these Marines can’t afford to lose.”
It was a basic shoot but necessary for Marines to remain proficient and capable with their rifles, said Reed, the 11th MEU’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense officer.
“It’s something you always remember,” said Reed. “It’s just a matter of how you apply what you know to make yourself a better shooter.”