Send Me: The making of a Soldier | Week 6

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — With their lungs burning and sweat pouring, Fort Leonard Wood trainees traded the calm precision of static qualification for th… FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — With their lungs burning and sweat pouring, Fort Leonard Wood trainees traded the calm precision of static qualification for the chaos of high-stress shooting to hone lethal accuracy under physical duress during Week 6 of U.S. Army Basic Combat Training. More than 100 recruits with Company A, 3rd Battalion, 10th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Chemical Brigade, spent hours on Fort Leonard Wood ranges Oct. 26 to 28, 2026, to qualify with their M4A1 carbines, proving they are disciplined combat-ready shooters who can dominate targets.

“Earning a marksmanship badge is special — it is the first badge that they are able to receive in the Army,” said Capt. Brittany Aikin, Company A commander. “Qualifying is a BCT milestone because it is a direct reflection of their individual performance outside of the Army Fitness Test. “During White Phase, there is a shift in focus to individual performance, while teamwork is still important and applicable during this phase, no one is going to shoot for them, they must earn their marksmanship badge on their own.” To Aikin, Week 6 is the most rewarding as it allows her to measure the lethal precision of the