Basic Training
Journal: Wednesday, September 10th
We were pretty busy yesterday so I didn't have time to write.
Yesterday we went to the hardest range on Fort Benning for
our first try at multiple/timed targets. It's just like what
qualification day will be like. The targets go up and down
at the same times and locations for the qualification range.
Actually, we first did it with some of the targets not used,
but after lunch we did all targets. I got 23 hits the first
time and 18 the second time out of a total of 43. To qualify,
you need 24...so I needed to work on my shooting. It was the
hardest range though and most people didn't qualify so I wasn't
worried. It's a hard range because the hills in front of the
targets are big and the grass is pretty tall, hiding some
of the targets a little.
We cleaned our weapons after we got done shooting and when
we got back to the bay too. Cleaning your weapon is extremely
important because a dirty weapon is the cause of 90% of malfunctions,
at least that's what our senior drill sergeant said.
Yesterday one of our profiled soldiers with a bad leg said
he wanted to kill himself since he didn't want to be restarted
so now we have to have a suicide watch for him at all times.
The DS put his bunk in the middle of the bay and at lights
out someone has to stay up and watch him. One person watches
him for an hour, then someone else does it.
Today we went to an easier range. It was like a golf course.
I accidentally grabbed someone elses weapon the first time
and got 14 out of 40, and it was zerod to someone else that
was left handed! We wait in line at a foxhole and place our
M16s on the foxhole cover....that's how the mixup occured.
I didn't feel too bad because it happened several times to
other people in the past week.
If you shoot 23/40 you didn't have to shoot again, but I
had to of course. When I shot the second time(with MY weapon),
I got 21 out of 40. Still not qualification standard though.
We go back to the hardest range tomorrow and for qualification
day we shoot at the easiest range.
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