Another day on the range

Now that the M-4 qualification was a success it was time to move onto the M-9. I use the term success loosely. Nobody got shot and everyone qualified, even if some people needed their magazines over loaded to do it. I was more worried about the M-9 because pistols usually tend to be harder. Normally not everyone shoots with a pistol, just the M-16 or the M-4.
The course was pleasantly different with pop up life like targets. In the Air Force paper targets are the norm. The targets pop up in ranges from 5 to 25 meters. In the qualifying round they actually line us up in our lane and have us move in on our targets shooting as we progress. It was really cool, but kind of unnerving at the same time because you have no idea what the skill level is of the people shooting beside you. It ended well with over 150 people qualifying in less than 4 hours.
The rest of the week was spent learning about detainees. We had some classroom time and then we got to practice our newly learned skills in a mock Afghani village scenario with an interpreter. It was a very eye opening experience.
It’s amazing to think I have been here for over a month now. I look back at what I’ve learned and feel confident about the progress our team has made in some areas. I also see how we have regressed in other areas. I am doing my best to keep us all on the same sheet of music. We are over half way done and I look forward to the challenges the Army has for me. I really look forward to shooting the 240, 249, MK-19, and the 50 cal at vehicles out on the range. I get paid to blow things up. I love this job!