Guns anyone?

So, Ken's latest update was filled with details about the guns and explosives he's been working with lately. He said you can Wikipedia the names if you're curious to know what they look like (for those of you how don't).

May 4th
We got to fire the 249 and 240B machine guns. I shot 50 rounds from the 240B and 100 rounds from the 249. I really enjoyed the 240B, which shoots a larger round than the M16, and really fast. These guns are usually found in the Hummers.

May 5th
We got to fire the 203. It is a grenade launcher that attaches to the M16. You put in a round, pull a trigger, and a grenade fires 300 meters away with a bang that shakes the ground beneath you.

May 6th
We stuck around the company and did combatives, military hand-to-hand combat.

May 7th
Thursday was a fun day for most. We learned about the AT4, Anti-Tank rocket launcher. Most people call it a bazzoka. It is basically a fiberglass tube that can only be used once. While you are holding it, you have to make sure that no part of your body sticks out behind it because it get 4000 degrees hot 100 metters after shot. It fires a rocket that shakes everything around. And let me tell you, it will stop a tank and penetrate 14 inches of steel.

May 8th
IT was a very stressful day for the drill sergeants, which calculates to a very stressful day for everybody. It was our first day to shoot live rounds in a room and covering down the range. Drill Sergeants had to move with each team of 4 to make sure we were doing everything we were supposed to. To make matters worse, it rained, all day. There was mud everywhere. So, you've got nervous privates running around in slick mud with loaded weapons of live ammo. First we kicked in a door into a room where 2 targets pop up. So the first 2 guys shoot them down, then you split into 2 groups of 2 and move down the range. We yell "cover us while we move" and the other guys say "we got you covered". At that point we start running to our next barracade while the other 2 shoot down range. Then we switch so they can come up while we cover. We did that 3 times before we were done with the exercise. All in all, nobody was hurt and we all had a good time, except for the drill sergeants.

May 9th
It was a day of testing. One of the things the Army doesn't do well is test. A monkey could pass their tests. We were tested on first-aid, gas mask, chain of command, land navigation, 9 line medivac (which is getting medics out to a casualty over the radio), and SALUTE (Size, Activity, Location, Unit or Uniform, Time, and Equipment). It is basically how one reports an enemy unit, for strategizing and such. That all took until lunch. Then we did laundry, threw hand grenades (fake) and I rested to get over my flu that was coming on.

May 10th
I got to talk to the family, ate 3 squares, and rested. We had a colonel and his wife speak to us at church, about mothers and respect for women in general.

May 11th
We went to the reception battalion with empty duffle bags. Later that day we came home with full duffle bags. We were issued all of our Class A&B uniforms: shoes, belts, brass, trousers, shirts, t-shirts, and jackets. The trousers were altered there. It took about 10 minutes. The jackets we will pick up in a week or two. The difference between a Class A and Class B iniform is the jacket.

May 12th
Today started out with our final PT test. I didn't achieve my goal as I have had no energy, no appetite, and a lot of coughing in my system. My goal was 60 push ups, 60 sit ups, and a 13 minute 2 mile run. I ended up with 50 push ups, 53 sit ups, and a 14:05 2 mile run. Not bad for a guy who lost 8 pounds in 5 days because of sickness. After the test, we went to a gun range and learned about the MK-19, which is basically a machine gun for grenades. Way cool. It launches grenades 2000 meters about as fast as you can count. That was my favorite, even though we didn't get to shoot it. Also we learned about, shot, and cleaned a 50 cal., a gun that has been in service since the '30s. The shells are about 6 inches long and it shoots 450-550 rounds a minute. Its range is 4.2 miles, but it is accurate to 1.2 miles: = way far away! We shot 3, 10 round bursts. It was way fun, but as I've told most of the guys out here, big guns aren't my thing. It's neat to watch and I'll shoot it, but I don't get excited over it. Some of these guys you'd think they peed their pants. There are a lot who joined simply to blow stuff up.

May 13th
Now I'm not sure if I explained it or not, but we usually get ona fleet of buses to go to all the ranges, and sometimes we march there and they pick us up in the evening when we're done. These marches are called ruck marches. They are called ruck marches because the backpack we wear we call a ruck sack. So this morning, we skipped PT and put on our full battle rattle, i.e. bullet proof helmet, chest plates, camel pack full of water, and storage compartments for 8 magazines and 2 grenades, plus our 50lbs rucksack. Talk about heavy. We marched about 3 miles as a company, then got to the grenade range. We learned about the 5 different types of grenades and how to safely pull the 2 safety pins and most importantly how to throw them. We kept throwing grenades that were practice grenades that mostly popped, not exploded. After seeing a live grenade explode, it seems like a good idea to practice with the practice grenades. After everybody proved they could throw a grenade far enough, they let each of us throw 1 live hand grenade. Now the casualty radius of a grenade is 30 meters. It is hard for me to throw that far, so we stood behind reinforced concrete, went through the commands, and launched grenades. My adrenaline was sure flowing after I threw the grenade. I ducked to the ground and waited for the blast. Then BOOM, it was incredible. Sand bounced up 3ft in the air all around. It was so much fun. I would definitely do it again. After that we were tested on what we had learned. We went to 4 different areas. We threw into a trench, then a bunker, then 30 meters (which was down hill so we could have rolled it), then we were tested on the types of grenades and their uses. And today, I am an expert in grenades (according to the US Army).

May 14th
Our training was to engage a target under stress. so we bussed up to our range, kind of. The bus dropped us off 1/4 mile away. We all went down into the woods, 18 soldiers at a time with all our gear, ran to the range, picked up 2 magazines, and engaged in moving targets down range. It was fun. After the run, once we got to the range, we got to dump our rucksack, then continued running in our lane. It was weird to automatically be 50lbs lighter while running. It was like running on air for about 10 steps. Then we waited around until mid afternoon to be picked up.