ALBANY, GA --
Dozens of Army Reserve Officers Training Corps cadets from Albany State University participated in weapons familiarization training at the Marine Corps Logistics Base.
According to ASU military instructors, Capt. Jerald Ferguson and Master Sgt. Robert McCall, participating in weapons familiarization training prior to firing at the actual range is critical to the cadets’ development as future officers.
Ferguson, chair of ASU’s Military Science Department said in the release that the cadets learned the basic fundamentals of marksmanship before qualifying to use M4 and M16 rifles.
“They are taught how to properly hold the weapons, acquire a good sight picture and steady aim, as well as assembling and disassembling them,” he said. “Select cadets will be qualifying while some are preparing for the ranger challenge competition at Fort Benning, Georgia.”
“During the year, other hands-on training we conduct use infantry tactics to evaluate the cadets’ leadership abilities and is a tool to gauge how they will control a squad or group of people to accomplish a mission,” he continued. “The majority of our training is done on the campus of ASU, Fort Gordon, Georgia, or Fort Benning, but some of it, such as weapons training, the obstacle course and land navigation is done here at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. The base has been really helpful to us as we train the next generation of Army officers.”
Krystal Parrish, a junior ROTC cadet from Brodnax, Va., said she joined ROTC because she wanted something new and challenging. She found the weapons training to be just that, but admitted she was catching on fast.
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