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Face of Defense: 'Voice of the Tower' Knows Flow of the Range

June 26, 2017 | By Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes, III Marine Expeditionary Force
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In the early morning light, a silhouette ascends the white cinder block tower's short staircase, briefly pausing at the top to jingle open the structure's single hatch.

Sgt. Krista Marshik waits to call the next command at the Combat Pistol Program tower, on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June, 5, 2017. Marshik voices the CPP tower to ensure all guidelines and saftey rules on the range are met. Marshik, a native of Arden Hills, Minnesota, is an ammunition technician with the Formal Marksmanship Training Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles Plouffe)
Marine Corps Sgt. Krista Marshik waits to call the next command at the combat pistol program tower at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June, 5, 2017. Marshik voices the CPP tower to ensure all guidelines and safety rules on the range are met. Marshik is an ammunition technician with Headquarters and Service Company, Formal Marksmanship Training Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles Plouffe
Sgt. Krista Marshik waits to call the next command at the Combat Pistol Program tower, on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June, 5, 2017. Marshik voices the CPP tower to ensure all guidelines and saftey rules on the range are met. Marshik, a native of Arden Hills, Minnesota, is an ammunition technician with the Formal Marksmanship Training Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles Plouffe)
Voice of the range: Minnesota Marine gains confidence
Marine Corps Sgt. Krista Marshik waits to call the next command at the combat pistol program tower at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, June, 5, 2017. Marshik voices the CPP tower to ensure all guidelines and safety rules on the range are met. Marshik is an ammunition technician with Headquarters and Service Company, Formal Marksmanship Training Unit, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Charles Plouffe
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Credit: Lance Cpl. Bernadette Wildes
VIRIN: 170605-M-HH765-001

Moments later, a voice echoes across the quiet range at Camp Hansen here.

“Good morning, shooters. Face up-range and listen for your range safety brief,” said Marine Corps Sgt. Krista Marshik, the voice of the tower for the combat pistol program.

Range Command Center

“The tower” is the command center of the range, where range staff members enforce safety procedures, monitor shooters and issue commands. The tower is a fixture on every Marine Corps rifle and pistol range to ensure safety is the priority. Marshik is the main voice on the microphone, giving commands with confidence and ease.

But it wasn’t always that way.

“I’ve been [the voice] for so long that I know the flow of the range,” said Marshik, an ammunition technician with Formal Marksmanship Training Unit, Headquarters and Service Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group. “I know how it’s supposed to be run.”

Marshik said manning the tower as a corporal helped her become the confident Marine sergeant she is today.

Learning the Job

“The previous sergeant knew I was shy, and he wanted to break me out of my shell. He was getting ready to leave Okinawa, so he decided to make me the tower [controller] help me gain confidence,” she said.

Marshik said she was nervous at first -- when she began to learn how to manage shooting ranges. Now, she has been the voice of the tower for almost two years.

She said some days are long and repetitive, but she doesn’t mind the work.

“I feel accomplished at the end of the week, knowing that we successfully trained up to 300 officers and staff noncommissioned officers, but I never let it get to my head,” she said. “It’s just another day on the range.”

After the final “pop” of the last shot fades, Marshik delivers a final ‘CEEEEEEAAAAAASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE, unload, show clear,’ ending another day of fundamental marksmanship training, scented by gunpowder and narrated by the voice of the tower.

Face of Defense

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