Drill Sgt. Donnie Nicholson and Staff Sgt. Kevin Williams, Delta Company 3d Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET), train the 320th Combat Support Hospital Soldiers on how to use the dominate eye test for firing their personal weapons system. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wesley Linton, 3rd Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET)
HIGH POINT, N.C. — Members of Delta Company 3rd Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET), from Hickory, North Carolina, partnered with the 320th Combat Support Hospital unit from Greensboro, North Carolina, for their semi-annual weapons qualification on Aug. 15-16 2015.
The Delta Company command group reached out to the 320th CSH’s training NCO and command group and expressed interest in training their Soldiers in marksmanship. The 320th was extremely supportive of the idea knowing that the best way to train their Soldiers in marksmanship was having drill sergeants instruct them.
The training mission took place in High Point, North Carolina, at the High Point’s police department flat range. The police department had an indoor classroom facility where all Soldiers from the 320th were given a safety brief, PMI via visual presentation and hands on training with their personal weapon system. The PMI focused on the four (4) fundamentals of marksmanship: aiming, trigger squeeze, steady position and breathe control. Just as any individual skill is based on fundamentals, marksmanship is no exception.
Drill Sgt. Terry Brown, Delta Company 3d Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET), analyzes the zero target and gives recommendations to a Soldier of the 320th Combat Support Hospital. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wesley Linton, 3rd Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET)
Once out on the range the drill sergeants and cadre from Delta Company acted as lane coaches, focusing on identifying any deficiencies the Soldiers had with their marksmanship. The 320th supported all range functions such as: lane safeties, NCOIC/RSO duties, range tower operations, target repair operations, ammo supply point and class I supply. This allowed the Soldiers from Delta Company to focus solely on marksmanship training.
At the end of the two-day training event, a total of 65 Soldiers were trained resulting in a 100% qualification. This was achieved by the expertise and dedication of the Soldiers of Delta Company and their commitment to the mission, this expertise and dedication is what separates drill sergeants from their peers.
Drill Sgt. Nathan Ballard, Delta Company 3d Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET), discusses fundamentals of marksmanship with a Soldier of the 320th Combat Support Hospital. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Wesley Linton, 3rd Battalion 518th Regiment (BCT), 98th Training Division (IET)
During this mission, several Soldiers of the 320th approached their trainers and expressed interest in becoming one of the army’s elite, a drill sergeant. Delta Company then had a follow up recruiting mission with the 320th at their drill facility in Greensboro, North Carolina on 24-25 Oct. 2015, where 16 potential drill sergeant candidates were recruited to join the Hickory battalion. As of 7 Jan 16. 14 Soldiers from the 320th CSH had joined the 3-518th Regiment.
“One hundred rounds do not constitute fire power. One hit constitutes fire power.” General Merritt Edson (1897-1955)