- MOS 0341
MOS 0341 is the
United States Marine Corps (USMC)Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) for Mortarman.General info
The
mortarman in the Marine Corps infantry is the mobile support to the rifleman on the front lines. They utilize theM252 81mm mortar and theM224 60mm mortar systems. They are usually located in theWeapons Company of the Battalion. The mortar platoon is made of up 3 major components: Forward Observer (FO), Fire Direction Center (FDC), and the gun line.Organization
The mortar platoon is made up of two sections with a total of 68 Marines(67 enlisted, 1 commissioned officer). Each section of the platoon is made up of 4 mortar teams, an FO, and FDC.
The Gun Line
Mortar gun lines are typically made up of 8 mortar systems. Each mortar system has a team of 4 or 5 Marines attached to it. These Gun Teams are broken down as follows:
1.) Team Leader - it is the job of the Team Leader to make sure before the weapon is fired that all coordinates are aligned and all bubbles are level. He also with the Ammo Tech keeps track of rounds and reports to the FDC any issues the team may experience. Also when laying the mortar system, it is the team leaders job to ensure that the weapn is laid correctly and on mark.
2.) Gunner - is the one that makes the the mortar has no 'cant' before it is fired. When aiming in it is the gunner and team leaders job to ensure the gun is laid correctly.
3.) Assistant Gunner (or A-Gunner for short) - looks through the sights and aligns them with the aiming post during firing. Also the A-Gunner is the one who drops the round in the cannon.
4.)Ammo Technician/Driver - is in charge of setting fuses and charges on the rounds befre handing them to the A-Gunner for firing. He also keeps a rund count to ensure the accountability of all round that pass through his gun system
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