German and U.S. Soldiers earn qualifications during joint training

By Spc. Lora Schulze
574 QMSC Public Affairs

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – Soldiers of the 574th Quartermaster Support Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, teamed up with a German Army Reserve unit out of Freihung, Germany to participate in rifle marksmanship on Feb. 4 here as part of a German-American Partnership training event.
 35 German Reservists along with 45 Soldiers from the 574th QMSC took the opportunity to foster cohesiveness and build camaraderie while qualifying on the on the M16A2 rifle, a weapon that many Soldiers of the German Bundeswehr are not familiar with.

Sgt. Brian Cass (right), a native of Hopewell, VA and a transportation specialist with 574th Quartermaster Support Company, 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sust. Brigade, shows a member of a German Reserve unit out of Friehung, Germany how to adjust the front sight aperture on the M16A2 rifle during rifle marksmanship training in Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Feb. 4.

“Training the German Reservists on the M16A2 was useful because they are our Allies and in the event that something were to happen where they need to use our weapons they already have experience on them,” stated 1st. Lt. Robert Shepherd, a native of Demopolis, Ala., and a platoon leader in 574th QMSC.
Using the same standards as U.S. Soldiers during weapon qualification, 19 German Soldiers qualified as sharpshooter and five as marksman. The two highest scoring German soldiers, OberGefreiter (Corporal) Benaburger and Gefreiter (Private First Class) Tischner, each were presented with a unit coin as a token of their achievements.
“The experience was good. It’s not every day that we get to go to a range alongside the Germans. They were a fun group to train,” stated Sgt. Brian Cass, a native of Hopewell, Va. and a transportation specialist with 574th QMSC who was a safety for the range.
The training continued a long history of partnership with the local German Army unit and the 18th CSSB.