Gunner's mate facts for kids
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A Gunner's Mate (GM) is a special job in the United States Navy. These sailors are experts in handling and maintaining weapons. They learn their skills either by going to a special school or by proving they already know a lot about weapons and explosives.
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Becoming a Gunner's Mate
Sailors who want to become a Gunner's Mate go to a school in Great Lakes, Illinois. This training helps them learn how to work with many different weapons.
What GMs Learn
At school, Gunner's Mates learn about:
- How to use and fix Navy guns.
- Working with missile launchers and torpedoes.
- Understanding basic explosives.
- How guidance and tracking systems work.
- Using small firearms.
- Learning about different types of Navy ammunition.
- Most importantly, they learn about safety when handling weapons.
After this main school, many GMs go to another special school. There, they learn even more about one specific weapon system.
What a Gunner's Mate Does
Gunner's Mates work with many kinds of weapons and equipment. They are responsible for keeping these systems ready to use.
Weapons They Handle
GMs specialize in a wide range of weapons, including:
- Shotguns like the M500.
- Machine guns such as the M60 machine gun, M2 Browning, and M240 machine gun.
- Rifles like the M14 rifle, M16 rifle, and M1 Garand.
- Pistols, including the M9 pistol and M11 pistol.
- Grenade launchers like the M203 grenade launcher, M79 grenade launcher, and Mk 19 grenade launcher.
- Larger ship guns, for example, the 5"/54 caliber Mark 45 gun.
- Chain guns like the M242 Bushmaster.
- Missile systems, including Vertical launching systems.
- Torpedoes.
- Pyrotechnics (like flares) and hand grenades.
- Non-lethal weapons.
Other Important Tasks
Besides handling weapons, Gunner's Mates also:
