***image1***Anyone in the Army could find themselves in a situation where their weapon could save not only their own life but the life of others around them.
Staff Sgt. Adonis Fabian is the Human Resource Manager for the 21st Theater Support Command, but during weapons qualification ranges he is usually the concurrent trainer for Soldiers who are having trouble passing their requirement.
Sergeant Fabian’s job is to help Soldiers overcome issues at the range so they can qualify. The Soldier could be having trouble with marksmanship fundamentals or the Soldier could be having troubles rooted in something else.
“Any number of things can keep people from doing well when it comes time to go to the range. It’s important to me that Soldiers know how to handle themselves with a weapon,” Sergeant Fabian said. “For obvious reasons they need to understand how to fire a weapon.”
People often have trouble qualifying because they are afraid of the weapon.
“They think that it’ll kick back and that the recoil will hit them. That it will hurt; this isn’t true,” said Sergeant Fabian. “It’s nothing to feel ashamed for, it’s in their heads; a little bit of Hollywood mixed with not being around the weapon enough.”
Others might just have their mind on something else entirely.
“A lot of Soldiers who normally do well on the range but then suddenly are not doing well are usually worried about an upcoming promotion board. They feel the need to qualify and to do well, so they get nervous,” said Sergeant Fabian.
There can be so many different things that can contribute to someone not being able to concentrate on shooting their weapon. Sergeant Fabian’s job is to get them on track.
One of the best ways to get them to do that is to give them time on a tool called the weaponeer, a simulated firing range controlled by the instructor, said Sergeant. Fabian.
“If it looks like someone isn’t going to qualify and they are having trouble, then they are sent back to me for some help,” said Sergeant Fabian. “Usually I just try to get them to relax and focus on the task at hand.”
The weaponeer can simulate different levels of kickback while allowing the Soldier to know exactly where their shots are going.
“I can get information from the machine and be able to tell from the shot groupings if someone is scared of the weapon, or maybe not breathing properly.”
I can tell if someone is holding the weapon too loosely and henceforth losing and then reacquiring the sight picture. Maybe it’s the trigger squeeze, he said.
“Any number of things combined or alone can frustrate Soldiers and keep them from being relaxed and focused,” said Sergeant Fabian.
“The one thing I never really do is start that drill sergeant routine on them. I want them comfortable” he said. “One Soldier came to me and apparently just couldn’t get a go on the range, couldn’t qualify – she was afraid of the weapon – after she got used to her surroundings a little and worked on the basics of shooting her rifle and calmed down, she ended up getting a 32 on pop-up targets and a lot more confidence.”
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