[6] According to a U.S. Army article, the master gunner is the technical and tactical experts for their weapon's platform.

"Master gunners are trained in methodology... What it boils down to is knowing the standard and being that person in the unit to enforce the standard, and to make sure that people are qualifying correctly... We're also experts in current gun maintenance so we can troubleshoot and fix a lot of problems and issues that may occur at the range, on the spot, instead of having to fall back to unit mechanics," explained Sergeant 1st Class Nathan Quarberg of the 1st Cavalry Division.

[2] According to the NCO Journal, the MGIB was designed to recognize both the schools and different U.S. Army branch histories with gunnery:[5] A laurel wreath will represent victory of the maneuver force, a symbol of victory since ancient Greek mythology featured the god Apollo wearing a laurel wreath around his head.

Inside the wreath, a sabre will highlight the Armor Branch, a symbol since 1851 adopted after the American Civil War when the mounted cavalry had great success on the battlefield swinging the curved, 36 in (91 cm) long, single-edged blade.

The non-subdued version is made of polished nickel silver with a scroll at its base covered in a black textured epoxy.