JANUARY 1, 2024 – Born out of Aiken, a small suburban town in South Carolina, Cpl. Kate McCaskill, a Fire Direction and Control (FDC) Marine, is the only enlisted female artillery Marine deployed with Sierra Battery, Battalion Landing Team 1/6, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) (26MEU(SOC).
The battery or platoon Fire Direction and Control is the control center, or ‘brains’, of the gunnery team. Cpl. McCaskill’s role aboard the USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19) involves mission processing for artillery, receiving calls for fire from a forward observer, ensuring the target is in range, and accurate hits on target.
During the course of the 26th MEU(SOC)’s deployment within the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/Sixth Fleet area of operations, McCaskill has participated in several multi-lateral, exercises to include: Norway Bilateral Exercise, Exercise Northern Coasts 2023, and the Spanish bilateral exercises, conducting FDC training with U.S.
Allies and partners including Germans, Italians, Latvians, Norwegians, and Spanish militaries to exchange knowledge and expertise acquired throughout their military training to strengthen interoperability and interdependence with our partners in the U.S. European Command area of responsibility.
“Being underway between missions has allowed us to constantly sharpen our skills with whitespace training in order to remain ready during deployment,” McCaskill expressed.
McCaskill was inspired to become a U.S. Marine following a high school field trip to Parris Island, South Carolina, visiting the heart of where Marines are made, the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. It was then Cpl. McCaskill realized she wanted to be a part of something much bigger than herself.
“Going on that field trip stirred something inside of me that made me want to do my part and to leave my mark in the U.S. Marine Corps,” said McCaskill. Her admiration of weapon systems steered her immediately into the artillery field. Additionally, being one of the few female Marines in her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) school only motivated her more to strive harder to do her very best to master her craft.
While deployed, McCaskill’s ability to adapt to new environments and to stay sharp as a Marine is credited to her mentor and direct leadership, Sgt. Corey Hodge, a platoon operation chief.
“I have worked with Cpl. McCaskill for over a year and a half now and she’s a proven hard-worker, stand-out performer, and leader,” said Sgt. Hodge. “During this deployment, she has taken up multiple responsibilities and has stepped up into leadership roles by leading Marines on the range with a driven attitude.”
McCaskill isn’t hard to find within the ranks of the Marines embarked on the USS Mesa Verde – she is immediately impressive and upholds the values and standards of the Marine Corps.
In addition to be mentally and physically tough, Cpl. McCaskill is an inspirational teammate going the extra mile to ensure the 26th MEU(SOC) remains ready, relevant, and capable of executing missions across the full spectrum of military operations.
The 26th MEU(SOC) serves as one of the United States’ premier crisis response forces capable of conducting amphibious operations, crisis response, and contingency operations, to include enabling the introduction of follow-on-forces and designated special operations, in support of theater requirements of the Geographic Combatant Commander.
Coupled with the USS Bataan ARG, the 26th MEU(SOC) serves as a premier stand-in force with a full complement of all-domain capabilities to operate persistently within the littorals or weapons engagement zones of any adversary.
Marines and Sailors of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), embarked on the ships of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, are on a scheduled deployment as the Tri-Geographic Combatant Command crisis response force with elements deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet and U.S. 6th Fleet areas of operation to increase maritime security and stability, and to defend U.S., Allied, and Partner interests.
Story by Cpl. Aziza Kamuhanda
26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable)