Master Gunners, Step Up

The appointment of a master gunner is an ancient one. In the past, monarchs appointed masters, such as wagon masters and trench masters, to specialize in particular military arts. All of these masters of military arts — with the exception of the master gunner — have faded away. In the early days of gunning, the master gunner was required to know all about guns — even how they were constructed. However, around the 1400s, the gunner’s main tasks were reduced to preparing ammunition and loading and shooting the gun — making guns was handed over to gunfounders and gunsmiths.1 The master gunner has held ground for more than six centuries; as soon as gunners became soldiers, master gunners were in charge of them, whether on board ship, in the field, or in coastal defense forts. The U. S. Navy’s master gunner eventually lost the “master” portion of his title and simply became “gunner.” In the field, the master gunner served as the executive officer in charge of artillery trains and, as such, was responsible for training his men and maintaining the equipment in his charge. The master gunner disappeared with the appointment of commissioned ‘artillerists’ to manage the trains. From the earliest days in forts, the master gunner was not only answerable for the care and maintenance of ordnance, ammunition, and stores, but was also in executive command of the guns and gunners. It was only with the appearance of the coast artillery commissioned officer that he relinquished the last duty and became responsible solely for properly maintaining and accurately accounting for the guns, ammunition, and associated stores.2 The modern-day master gunner is not that different from those of the past. The model for creating master gunners has worked for 30 years, beginning in 1975 with the first Master Gunner School at Fort Knox, Kentucky, training soldiers on the M60A1, M551, and M60A2 tanks. The programs of instruction (POI) during those early years would eventually be replaced with programs of instruction (POIs) for the M60A3, M1, M1A1, M1A2, M1A2SEP, and mobile gun system (MGS), either as entirely new POIs or as transition courses to update trained master gunners on subjects specific to each tank. Success of the tank master gunner program has been such that, as the saying goes, “imitation is the highest form of flattery.”3 The Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, decided early to emulate the training approach of the U. S. Army Armor School for Bradley crewmen. Immediately after the Bradley was fielded in 1983, the Bradley master gunner program was initiated. As a mechanized armor system, the principles for training tankers and units seemed a natural fit to Bradley crewmen. Other master gunner courses began forming in the 1990s, based on the rationale of an undisputed increase in lethality that master gunners brought to a unit’s warfighting capability, as exhibit- — 35 ed during Operation Desert Storm. Therefore, to shape and improve soldier training, master gunner programs were designed for weapons systems beyond the tank and Bradley.4 The aviation community began designating certain pilots to act as unit master gunners to improve gunnery training. Although aviation master gunner training has less focus on maintenance, due to the background of the candidate soldier, the functions of the master gunner position were similar. In 2003, the Aviation School at Fort Rucker, Alabama, formalized this program into one that would produce soldiers with an additional skill identifier to fill designated unit master gunner positions. Similarly, field artillery had unofficial programs that trained soldiers to be master gunners at division level through the 1990s. The Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, formalized this early attempt at a master gunner program and standardized training, forming the first artillery master gunner pilot course in mid-2005. The Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, Texas, created its program in 2002 to produce master gunners for Avenger units.5 As each program was developed, the mold used to train master gunners remained fairly consistent. The philosophy guiding each program was to produce soldiers who were experts on maintaining weapons systems, gunnery experts in fighting weapons systems, trainers, and true subject-matter experts (SMEs) on many subjects.6 Today’s constantly-changing battlefield places great demands on master gunners — to remain masters of weapons systems. This requirement is extremely challenging and involves a great deal of time and hard work. For example, a tank unit preparing to go to Iraq will most likely not use tanks as primary fighting vehicles; they will likely field M1114 high mobility, multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs) or M1117 armored security vehicles (ASVs). These platforms employ many different weapons systems that tank master gunners are not trained on — he must master these systems during the pre-deployment process. His commander and soldiers will rely on him to have all the answers. “Go ask the master gunner,” is often heard on the boresight line or in the motor pool. Soldiers expect master gunners to have the answers; they depend on master gunners to have the answers. The new battlefield requires these highly talented noncommissioned officers to reach out and seek the expertise of fellow master gunners from different fields, as well as learn new operating and weapons systems to high levels of proficiency. The tank master gunner should not be uncomfortable asking his infantry brother to teach him how to efficiently operate an M68 close-combat optic (CCO) or AN/ PEQ-2 target pointer/illuminator/aiming light. The master gunner will be the onsite expert at the zero range to make things work. Opening afield manual on anew weapons system is never a bad place to start. As master gunners, we encourage our soldiers to use the “book,” yet at times, we fail to take our own advice. Having current field and training manuals on all of your unit’s weapons downloaded onto a laptop is good advice. Ensure you have a copy of the small arms integration book, which can save you hours on a range preparing for deployment. We expect today’s soldiers to be proficient in their assigned occupational specialties, as well as every aspect of the current operating environment (COE). The master gunner has to step up and take this challenge too. Tankers have given up their tanks in most armor units, which means tank master gunners will have to become experts on other weapons systems, such as the MK19, M4 (with all its attachments), M240B, and M249 (squad automatic weapon). Commanders will seek advice from master gunners on weapons employment in urban areas — master gunners must have the answers. Master gunner schools cannot teach everything a master gunner needs to know, but they do teach soldiers how to troubleshoot and pay attention to detail. These two areas are critical tasks in all combat environments and must be used by commanders in preparation for and during deployment. The Army is currently focused on fighting a war, not using its primary fighting platforms. The master gunner must come to the front once again and take the lead. These highly trained noncommissioned officers have been through some of the Army’s toughest schools to earn the title, “master;” it is now time to show why they were chosen for such critical roles. Master gunner, step up; the Army needs you, commanders need you, and soldiers expect it from you! Do not let them down! Notes 1Wally Ruffell, Royal New Zealand Artillery Old Comrades’ Association Newsletter, Issue 59, online at http://riv.co.nz/ rnza/hist/master.htm, September 1988. 2Ibid. 3Retired Sergeant First Class Ira L. Partridge, “Recreating the Master Gunner Program,” ARMOR, May-June 1995, pp. 25-31. 4Ibid. 5Ibid. 6Ibid. Sergeant First Class Cory R. Kozielski is currently serving as operations sergeant major and battalion master gunner, 1st Battalion, 34th (1-34) Armor, Fort Riley, KS. His military education includes M1A1 and M1A2 Master Gunner School, Basic Noncommissioned Officers Course, and Primary Leadership Development Course. He has served in various duty positions, to include platoon sergeant and company master gunner, B Company, 1-34 Armor, Fort Riley; tank and truck commander, B Company, 1-34 Armor, Ramadia, Iraq; master gunner instructor, M Troop, 2d Squadron, 16th (2/16) Cavalry, Fort Knox, KY; and instructor, Armor Officer Basic Course, H Troop, 2/16 Cavalry, Fort Knox. “The Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia, decided early to emulate the training approach of the U. S. Army Armor School for Bradley crewmen. Immediately after the Bradley was fielded in 1983, the Bradley master gunner program was initiated. As a mechanized armor system, the principles for training tankers and units seemed a natural fit to Bradley crewmen.” 36 —