Mag-11 Marksmanship

On the evening of September 14, 2012 fifteen Taliban fighters infiltrated the airfield of Camp Bastion in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The firefight that ensued lasted three hours, VMA-211’s squadron commander Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Raible was killed along with mechanic Sergeant Bradley Atwell, and eight AV-8B Harrier aircraft were destroyed (“USCENTCOM Bastion Summary”, 2012). Prior to this event VMA-211 was last employed in a defensive infantry stance in Wake Island during the opening days of World War II (Timperlake 2012). However, detached from the firefight as they may be they are still expected to perform effectively when the firefight comes to them. In order to preserve the tradition of marksmanship Marine Air Group Eleven (MAG-11) should utilize Marine Corps Combat Marksmanship Programs (MCCMP) more often in order to ensure that every …show more content…
They have promoted the use of mentorship programs, base resources such as the education center and gyms, as well as the implementation of new promotion boards for more junior Marines. However, little has been done in regards to combat readiness in regards to marksmanship. When civilians think of Marines, they most often imagine an infantry Marine or in other words a rifleman. This image is one that all Marines are expected to have the ability to fill. In an article by taskandpurpose.com a Marine Corps Drill Instructor, SSgt. Thomas Phillips stated “All Marines, regardless of job or rank, have one thing in common: They know how to shoot.” (Clark 2016). The small unit leaders of MAG-11 may hit the specific aspects of training their Marines to be educated, physically fit, financially stable, and so on. If leaders get into these numerous and specific features of a “whole Marine” they may, at times, lose sight of the basic Marine Corps adage of Every Marine a