Bang-Bang

The last week of training was tiring at times and exciting at times. Most of it was spent at the range firing off round after round on a mixture of military weaponry capable of taking over small towns.

I've been qualified on small arms for several years, in accordance with AF requirements, so I was already familiar with the M-4 carbine (similar to the M-16 rifle only with a shorter barrel, built-in rail mount system, and an adjustable stock) and the M-9 handgun (Beretta 9mm). Those training/qualification days for the Army were last week, so there wasn't much to talk about as it was not too new to me. This week, however was different - very different.

Instead of firing small arms, I fired an automatic grendade launcher (MK19) and several machine guns (M-2 .50 cal, M-240B, and M-249) in various settings. And yes, it was pretty incredible. I feel fairly competent with targeting, cleaning, disassembling, reassembling and maintaining each of these weapons systems and I have the Army to thank for that. Years and years ago, when my LEGO village was ravaged by an unprovoked attack from G.I. Joe and his buddies, orchestrated by my brother, I was completely confident I would never be this intimate with such powerful instruments of war. Today is different. My goal is to learn as much as possible about the job ahead of me so that I can come home safe to my family and friends and more importantly, so I can conduct my nation's business with honer. The long days at the range were a not-so-gentle reminder of this and the percussion of the rounds blasting forward only added an exclamation point to what this business model often requires in order to ensure success.