Qualification

The past two days, I could only fire once per day because so many people were struggling. Today, I did not get to fire at all! So many people are still having a hard time that they said anyone who qualified yesterday will use the score from yesterday, so that there is more time and ammo for the others to attempt their qualification. I really thought I could hit 30 targets, but now will never know. I guess just qualifying a day ahead of time is pretty good, especially considering I only ever shot a rifle once, 23 years ago, on my uncle's ranch. The trick to qualifying on the M-16, and shooting well, is simple - listen to what the DS is telling you, and do it. Some of the people who have the hardest times are the ones who's paw or grandpaw taught them to shoot, and fail to adapt their technique to the M-16.

The day was very long. Even though I could not shoot, I did have time to write two poems - perhaps providing me with a little balance. Even though I could not shoot I still had an interesting day. By the afternoon, many had qualified and the DS's were working on the hard cases. Perhaps 120 of us went to an adjacent field to learn and practice "reflexive fire" - taking the weapon off safe when a target appears, engaging that target, and then promptly returning the weapon to safe. The DS's were all needed at the firing line, and they put me in charge of the exercise.

Most of the people there really wanted to learn. We were practicing a skill that keeps you alive in a war zone. However, there were a few soldiers, maybe 10% that treat BCT like high school - a place to run their mouth and be disruptive. Generally, they are kids from the hood. The worst offender is a big black kid, named Davis, that reminds me strongly of a character in Jet Li's movie 'Romeo Must Die' - the fat character that's always running his mouth. Normally, when a trainee is left in charge, the kids from the block do whatever they want. Not with me. When Davis began talking to his friends loudly enough to constitute a disturbance, I stopped training, addressed him directly, and politely asked him to behave. He turned to me with an intimidating look and asked "Who the F*ck you talking to". Usually, others back down when he pounds his chest like that, I just pretended I was a DS, walked right up to him, face-to-face, spouting off something like "Many people here will be in Iraq in a few months. Now, if you want to get your fat ass shot up because you don't know what the hell you're doing, that's fine with me. But, most of the people here want to learn how to keep themselves alive." I used my best DS voice, too :-) He was shocked, and shut up - for a while. A bit later, he decided to test the waters again. I let him know, at the top of my lungs, but remaining professional rather than getting angry, that I'm conducting training, and he's disturbing it. DS Annoyed happened to walk by just then, and gave Davis a half-hour smoke session. The fat boy sure needed the workout ;-) For days afterwards, people commented on how well I handled the situation. I'm just glad I could get important training to people that need it.