Marines with Delta Company, 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine
Division (Forward), began preparing for upcoming missions
by sighting-in the main cannon and machine guns on their
M1A1 Abrams tanks during a firing range exercise at Camp
Leatherneck, Jan. 13.
The tanks, which were flown here from Kuwait, are not
the vehicles the Marines have trained with and some preparation
must be done before they are ready for combat, said Capt.
Daniel Hughes, commanding officer of Delta Co., 1st Tanks.
“The first order of business is to bore sight and
screen your tank,” Hughes added. “Screening
ensures that when you fire the main cannon on your tank,
you hit the exact target you want to hit.”
Even though these Marines have only been in Afghanistan
about a week, everything seems to be going well. While
the Marines bore sight several times a year, the combat
environment makes every adjustment of the main gun just
that much more important.
“They require a tremendous amount of maintenance,”
Hughes said. “If you go on a four or five-hour patrol
to support the men on the ground, you will have four or
five hours of maintenance when you get back just to keep
the tanks in the fight.”
Once the preparation is complete and maintenance done,
the tankers say they will be ready for their upcoming
missions.
“We hope to support the infantryman on the ground
and help them complete their mission,” said Hughes,
a 38-year-old native of Olympia, Wash. “We also
hope to intimidate the enemy and provide superior and
accurate firepower to kill the enemy, and only the enemy.”
The tanks have another advantage in this fight besides
intimidation and firepower. Hughes said the tracks and
armor allow an M1A1 Abrams tank to withstand an improvised
explosive device better than any other vehicle in Afghanistan.
While tanks have never been in Afghanistan, neither have
most of the Marines with Delta Co.
“It’s definitely humbling to be the first
tankers in Afghanistan,” said Cpl. Todd Cross, a
tank crewman with Delta Co., 1st Tanks. “We want
to make a good name for ourselves and we want to leave
a good name for the tanks who come after us as well.”
“I am looking forward to the challenges and am
definitely excited about what we are going to do,”
said Cross, a 23-year-old Elkridge, Md.
After the rounds were fired, the tanks’ sights
were properly aligned and ready for battle. The Marines
will continue firing rounds on ranges to sharpen their
skills until they leave for their first-ever mission in
Helmand province.
