Multinational soldiers compete for U.S. badge
Story and photos by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Cody Harding 4th Public Affairs Detachment
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erman, Polish, Swiss, and Turkish soldiers received a class on U.S. Army weapons, simulation training and the chance to earn a U.S. Army marksmanship badge in an event hosted by the Joint Regional Detachment - East on Camp Bondsteel Aug. 9. The day began outside the Engagement Skills Trainer, where members of JRD-E set up display stations for several U.S. Army weapons, including the M500 shotgun, the M203 grenade launcher and an M2 .50-caliber machine gun. Those groups that didn’t go to the stations went inside the EST where they ?red simulated M4 ri?es to gain familiarity with the weapon. After cycling through the stations, the soldiers moved to the range and had the opportunity to qualify on the M4 ri?e using the Army standard ?ring tables of 20 rounds in the prone supported position, 10 rounds unsupported and 10 kneeling.
Turkish Army Sgt. 1st Class Ozan Suslu, a member of the Turkish coy, said working with the Americans on ri?e marksmanship was a good experience. “It was nice and challenging,” Suslu said. “I like the challenge.” Once the soldiers were done with their quali?cation, their targets were counted and each soldier received a badge based on how many hits they scored. The awards were ranked from marksman, with at least 24 con?rmed hits, to expert, which requires 36 or more hits. U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class William Harvey, the operations sergeant for JRD-E, said being able to share their experiences and train their multinational partners on new weapon systems was a unique challenge. “It’s rewarding to see them being able to qualify,” said Harvey, a Boston native.
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