FALLUJAH, Iraq -- From the first days Marines receive weapons at United States Marine Corps’ recruit training depots, the importance of maintaining spotlessly clean, well-lubricated, functioning weapons is driven into their heads.
Thanks to the efforts of Marines like Cpl. Daniel K. Jones, troops fighting in Fallujah need not worry about their weapons malfunctioning in the heat of combat.
The 23-year-old Mt. Gilead, Ohio native serves his country as a small arms technician with the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based unit, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment. He ensures the weapons on the front lines remain in good repair and ready to be fired.
“I’ve been doing this for four and a half years now,” stated the 2000 Mt. Gilead High School graduate, who attended recruit training in 2001. “I like doing this job, getting to work on the weapons and being able to test fire them.”
Jones added that he’s always had a passion for this sort of labor. Before enlisting, he attended the Tri-Rivers Career Center in Ohio to learn the machinist and metalworking trade.
Loving his craft but yearning for something more, Jones decided to join America’s elite fighting forces by enlisting in the basic ordnance field. There, he got assigned the job of a small arms technician.
“I signed up while I was still in high school,” he said. “I heard they (Marines) were the best, and I wanted to do my duty and serve my country.”
Deployed here Jones has great responsibilities resting on his shoulders; ensuring that hundreds of rifles, machineguns and other weapons remain serviceable and accounted for.
“I make sure armory procedures are carried out, like making sure we issue and receive the weapons we’re supposed to,” he added.
Jones said he works as a supervisor to armory custodians, representatives from each company in the battalion who are designated to keep track and maintain weapons assigned to their respective units.
“Armory custodians relay problems to me,” he added. “Then I diagnose, fix and check to make sure the weapon is operational.”
However, Jones’ skills are not limited only to repairing firearms. He also keeps track of and helps maintain optics. These items include ACOGs (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsights, rifle-mounted scopes that help shooters aim more accurately even in low light situations) and night vision goggles, both items Marines use while standing camp security and patrolling the streets of Fallujah.
Jones said maintaining these weapons and optics keeps him busy at times, especially because Iraq’s dusty environment presents him with unique challenges. As the saying goes, however, prevention is the best medicine.
“A lot of the problems can be avoided if Marines clean their weapons regularly,” he explained. “The lube we use makes dust stick onto the weapons, which becomes dirt. So it’s really important that everyone clean their weapons often.”
Jones also helps oversee this maintenance. Once a week, he travels aboard the ‘XO’s Road show’, a convoy battalion support personnel use to travel to the units located throughout Fallujah to render their respective services. For Jones, this means fixing and inspecting any infantrymen’s unserviceable weapon.
“I mainly fix problems with rounds not feeding properly, making sure the weapon loads correctly. I deal with anything from fixing jams to replacing broken parts.”
Jones added that he’s content to contribute his skills to fight in the Global War on Terrorism.
“I’m motivated to do my part to make Iraq a better place.”