Laser system helps National Guard practice
By: Shane Ennerson
But at ease, the soldiers of the N.C. Army National Guard Detachment 1 B Company of the 252nd Combined Arms Battalion in Nashville, are eager to show what they do on a monthly basis.
During training Friday evening, members of the detachment practiced on a laser-guided rifle range set up inside of the Nashville Armory and worked with infrared rifle scopes.
Staff Sgt. John Setera said the detachment has begun training a little harder because of the possibility of a spring deployment overseas.
"We're not 100 percent sure when," Setera said.
Most of the soldiers in the detachment have been deployed before, he added.
"The majority of them have been deployed," Setera said, adding that the battalion was last called up was in 2003.
For now, Setera said, most of the training will be routine.
"In December, that's when we'll step up the intensity," he said. "We'll make the guys wear their body armor."
The 252nd Combined Arms Battalion is part of the 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, a mechanized infantry unit. With 4,000 soldiers, it is one of the larger military outfits in North Carolina, according to military officials.
Standing near a table lined with M-4 carbines – the U.S. Army's standard infantry rifle – Staff Sgt. Meritt Latham, a 16-year veteran of the guard, said the laser-guided targeting system allows standard weapons to be fitted with a laser "beam-hit system" for range practice without the use of live ammunition.
"We're knocking the rust off of the guys because we only get to train once a month," Latham said. "It's a way to practice marksmanship without expending rounds."
The scaled-down target is measured to be 300 meters away from the soldier, when in actuality, the target is only about 75 feet from shooter.
Spc. Michael Martin was busy setting up a laptop computer and rechecking the laser mounted beam device on his weapon.
"It saves us time and resources by not having to go to the range," Martin said. "It helps keep us trained on weapons qualifications. This is a really good tool to help us."
After the soldier fires at the target, Martin said, the scores are relayed to the computer and recorded.
Aspects of marksmanship such as controlled breathing and grouping shots in a quarter-sized pattern are all taken into account, he added.
In one of the armory's classrooms, Sgt. Zack Kysler was instructing a group of soldiers on the use of an infrared rifle scope.
The scope picks up heat signatures, making an enemy or anything that gives off heat readily visible, even in complete darkness.
"When we were overseas, you could scan an open field and even see mice," Kysler said.
Freelance writer working for Dragonlasers at http://www.dragonlasers.com
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