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As I watch my NBCRV crews wrap up their Table V for gunnery tonight, it dawned on me that this will be my last gunnery as a company grade officer. Outside of CTCs, I truly believe gunnery has shaped me moreso than any other training event I’ve been a part of. 1/
My first task as BN Chemo 6 years ago was to babysit ranges as each company in our Stryker battalion progressed through the tables. With nothing better to do, I tried my best to pick every brain around me on what gunnery was and why it was so important. 2/
I eventually was tasked with being the OIC for a Table XII, and my BC and 3 were surprised when they showed up and asked if I knew what was going on and could explain all the tables, gates, and progressions leading up to that point, even as a brand new Chemo. 3/
Later on, when I took over the NBCRV platoon in the Stryker brigade’s BEB, I knew we were last in the pecking order of toys for the commanders, so I made it our goal that if they wouldn’t let us do CBRN Recon, we were at least going to embarrass the IN/AR guys in gunnery 4/
4 Gunneries, 2 Top Guns, and 2 Top Platoons later, and the other battalions didn’t want us to come anymore because “the Chem guys are making us look bad”. Mission accomplished. 5/
Crew Gunnery brings together so many aspects of what makes Army great. Team working, learning your weapon systems and combat platforms, shooting shit, and most importantly shit talking. 6/
But it’s planning requirements are what make it shine. Long range training, Maintenance and service synchronization, talent management, reaching out and coordinating training beyond your own unit...the pillars of success as a leader in a line unit in the Army. 7/
It also teaches tactical patience, the importance of AARs, and a shit ton of coaching and mentoring, especially for new crews lol. 8/
Anyways, it’s after 0100, the crews are crushing it tonight, and as painful as gunnery is to get to, it’s nights like these, listening to the hum of Strykers and watching tracers shoot off into the night sky that make all the Army bullshit worth it. /end.
