Target Practice

From Laura:

At the M16 zero range


Just before going out to fire.


M-16 Firing Line

The Sergeant Major - He is an E-9, and has been in this same unit for 24 years. Very unlike the Active Army, where everyone moves to new locations and jobs every three years.


Waiting around for night fire. That is my gear leaning against the far corner post. My weapon is slung over my shoulder, of course. You never leave your weapon.




See those targets just in front of the tree line? Well, that's what we have to hit. The smaller "target" closer up isn't. It is just the lane number. You don't want to aim at someone else's target out of your lane, or they get the credit for your kill.
The person next to the shooter is a coach. He is helping a young soldier. The person in back of the foxhole with the vest and paddle is a range safety. The other side of his paddle is red. The tower will ask if everyone is ready to fire, and the range safety will hold up the white side for yes, and the red side for no. If there is a hazard, the safety can also stop the shooting by waving the red side, and shouting "cease fire" or "check fire".. Anyone on the range can yell that to stop the firing.


The targets are not the white and black square signs in the distance, but the faint orange bump in the horizon just in front of the trees. The signs are just to mark the edge of the lane.


Between the day and night firing, they fed us. Luckily, it wasn't MREs. Here is the chow line on the table. Behind you can see our "creature comforts"...outhouses so we aren't forced to pollute nature. Needless to say, in hot Florida, these things get to smelling horrid.

The green trailer pulled by the LMTV (truck) is our water. Before using, make sure it is printed "potable" on the side, as often these water loads are not drinkable. In country, we will be getting our water the same way, but it is NOT potable. These trailers are called "water buffalos".

The food was rice, turkey (severely processed), green beans, and salad.


This soldier is female, and the coach is the E-9, SGM Capley.


Our trucks. This is how we get out to the field, we pile into the back. The Army does not allow military weapons to be carried in privately owned vehicles. So we all have to load up like cattle into military vehicles when we are carrying our weapons.

The irony here is, the Army is emphatic about soldiers wearing seatbelts. But there are no seatbelts in the back of these trucks.

Most of the time, these trucks have a canvas cover top.


On this range, the targets pop up from behind the black berms.

I usually shoot expert, but unfortunately my magazine did not load correctly on Table 3, so I did not even get a shot off except for the last target of that table. I did qualify, though.