1st Cavalry tank crews build on gunnery basics

FORT HOOD, Texas (Oct. 8, 2014) -- Tank crews with the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team "Black Jack," 1st Cavalry Division conducted gunnery tables I-IV at Sugarloaf Multi-use Range here, Tuesday through Friday.

Tables I-IV are a foundation for crew qualification, and include learning fire commands, conducting dry-fire rehearsals, weapons familiarization and bore sighting, live-fire zeroing the 120mm main gun, said Sgt. 1st Class Peter Wallat, platoon sergeant with Company D, 1-5 Cavalry.

The tables are the first tank gunnery exercise for Black Jack, and the fourth event since gunnery started Sept. 20. Other recent gunnery events involved cavalry scout crew certifications, Sept. 23-26, and a gunnery family day that took place Sept. 27.

Keys to success in tank crew qualifications are proficiency in the basic fundamentals of the tank, concepts of the crew, and understanding how to handle equipment failure, said Wallat, who hails from Santa Cruz, California.

"(Tables I - IV) is the time to overcome any hurdles the crew may be facing, whether it is personnel, technical or mechanical," said Wallat. "Only then can we be successful."

Wallat said many crew members are young. They need this training time to come together as a crew, grow in their particular field, and prepare to qualify.

"Every tanker has a role to play within the crew," said Wallat. "They must communicate, know each other's position within the tank, and understand qualifying is a team effort."

Spc. Gabriel Mena, a tank driver with Company D, 1-5 Cavalry, understands the meaning of teamwork, and how it applies to each member of his crew.

"(The crew) has the same knowledge base and has cross-trained in each position on the tank," said Mena, who hails from Norwalk, California. "This is how we build cohesion and stay confident in our abilities as a team."

That same confidence will be applied as crews use their skills beyond qualification and use them in practical, real-world applications.

"There is a bigger picture at play here," said Wallat. "Tank crews are not just prepping to qualify in gunnery, but be ready for wartime missions."

Wallat said the tank crew's training and practice would pay off in the end.

Mena agreed saying, "I enjoy what I do. The long days and nights are well worth it."

 http://www.army.mil/article/135799/1st_Cavalry_tank_crews_build_on_gunnery_basics/

 By Sgt. Quentin Johnson