While waiting for the call for live fire, Gun Team Five passes the time by joking about Marines they know, stories of family, or telling old stories from deployments and previous exercises they have been on. Even though they may tease each other, they operate as one, well-oiled Marine machine.

Gun Team Five is a team; a family. They are a tight knit squad of professionals who are ready when called upon.

They are led by a sergeant whose experience in combat and many deployments earns him respect amongst the team. The next in the chain of command is a corporal who shares some of the responsibility of leading the team and records the rounds that are fired. Then there is the team. Each individual has their own personalities as unique and different than the next.

They are a representation of Bravo Battery, 3rd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, who is currently conducting live-fire artillery training during Artillery Relocation Training Exercise 10-3 Ojojihara to maintain operational readiness of the artillery battalion in support of the U.S. – Japanese security alliance.

The team focuses on professionalism, proficiency, and precision. They pride themselves on the gun line with their ability to fire rounds off faster than the other guns, and the ability to do it without fail.

“The main thing we try to focus on is consistency,” said Sgt. Felipe Bachicha, section chief of Gun Team Five, Battery B, 3rd Bn., 12th Marines. “If we are consistently fast, consistently proficient at our jobs, then we will always be successful. Every Marine knows their job and does it well.”

The Team        

They are consistently fast because the gunner, Lance Cpl. Duane L. Carroll, adjusts the horizontal direction of the gun into shooting position, and because the assistant gunner, Cpl. Keith Smith, lines up the vertical direction of the barrel, both with absolute perfection. This is done before the round is chambered, and is verified for accuracy after the round is loaded to ensure the gun has not shifted.

They are fast because Lance Cpl. Michael D. Hurley attaches the fuses to the rounds, and Lance Cpl. Christopher J. Barker, rushes them to the gun for the section chief’s inspection before loading it.

They are fast because Cpl. Jacob Fruge and Pfc. Michael S. Thompson, ram the round through the chamber and seat it in the barrel of the howitzer with the “J” shaped bar.

They are fast because Cannoneer #3, Lance Cpl. Isaias Calderas, hurries the powder bags to Cannoneer #2. 

They are fast because Cannoneer #2, Lance Cpl. Vernell Whitehenderson, inserts the primer into the artillery round and the powder into the chamber before the breech is closed. 

They are fast because Cannoneer #1, Lance Cpl. Jonathan Arxer, fires the weapon in what seems like a millisecond when the order to fire sounds.

They are fast because their section chief, Sgt. Felipe D. Bachicha, oversees the operation and gives the final order to fire after ensuring the gun is on target.

They are fast because the assistant section chief, Cpl. Daniel R. Baker, records the firing data during every fire mission.

For a young crew, both in age and time in the Marine Corps, the howitzer of Gun Team Five is in capable hands.