Marines competed at Camp Pendleton to find the Corps' most lethal tank crew
Hand-selected Marines from across the Corps, active duty and reserve, traveled to Camp Pendleton to compete in the tank gunnery competition. TIGERCOMP consisted of a physical training competition, call for fire and vehicle identification.
"TIGERCOMP makes the companies want to dig a little deeper to be the top shooters," said Sgt. Johnathan Wright, the tank commander of 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve.
Throughout four days before the competition, the Marines executed a total of 10 engagements prepping the teams for their final grading portion.
On the first day, the Marines woke up before the sun to compete in a physical training competition. The physical training test started with the longest two minutes imaginable. The Marines had two minutes to complete as many clean-and-presses with a 50 pound heat round.
Immediately after, the Marines were handed pieces of tank track. Once they held the chunks of track, the Marines began the 500-meter track shuffle.
"The PT was … strenuous," said Wright, rubbing the back of his neck. "Then we did a tow cable drag, you do a bear crawl with the tow cable, stand up and run back, but the most difficult part was the road wheel drag."
The Marines were given tires from the tanks, known as road wheels, and told to keep two hands on it at all times. To finish the PT test, the huffing participants competed in a one-mile boots and utes run. In the afternoon, the Marines began their shooting workup program.
On the second day, the teams picked two or three of their best Marines to compete in a call for fire. A call for fire is a commonly used request providing succinct messages that determine the best methods of attack.
On the third day, the Marines began their armored vehicle identification test. The test included American and Russian modes of transportation, helicopters and thermal images. The Marines glanced at the image for 10 seconds, and then hastily scribbled. On the fourth day, the Marines finished their workup program.
On the fifth day, veterans and members of the local community gathered alongside Marines to watch the tanks compete and revel in the tanks' lethal accuracy.
In the end, 4th Tank Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, collected the enormous TIGERCOMP trophy, the pride and joy of the tank community.
Stay tuned to watch the Marines compete against the soldiers in the Sullivan Cup, the Army's precision gunnery competition. The next competition that will rigorously test US soldiers, US Marines and international partners is set for 2020 at Fort Benning, Georgia.
For more information go to https://www.benning.army.mil/armor/sullivan/
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