1000
Revile was at 0500, but I hadn't fallen asleep after I got off fire watch at 0400. We got ready in a rush, and had morning chow at 0515. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed morning chow, but I'm a HUGE breakfast fan, so I always like breakfast. Being a squad leader, I make sure the girls in my squad eat first, so I get my food last, but I'm still expected to be finished at the same time. It's a good thing I've always inhaled my food! This finally worked to my advantage.
After chow, we grabbed our day packs and climbed into a 7 ton. 7 tons are these giant, uncomfortable trucks that carry approximately 16 Marines in the back.
This is a 7 ton like the ones we rode in. Except we didn't have anyone with a gun standing out the top of ours...
I think we had about a 45 minute ride, but I fell asleep so I wasn't really sure. It absolutely sucks in the back of that truck though because it's bumpy and dusty. We were wearing Kevlar helmets and flack jackets that were most likely used in WWII. They were so old and smelled even worse than we did.
We arrived at our destination and were split into 3 large groups. My group went for about a 1 mile hike to the shooting range where we shot 20 rounds with an M-4. We were at varying distances in the standing, kneeling, and prone positions. It was awesome!
We then hiked back to civilization where we were in a virtual shooting range and heard some Marines talk about the different types of guns. After that we went outside to learn how to fire machine guns and mortar launchers! This would later benefit us because we got to go out to range 47 and shoot them ourselves.
After a fancy demonstration of the Marines firing off the weapons, we were split into 4 groups to fire them ourselves. I started out at the M252 81 mm Extended Range Mortar.
Dropping a mortar into that launcher and literally having about 0.5 seconds to move your hand so it doesn't get blown off is such an adrenaline rush. IT WAS AWESOME.
I then got to fire a M224 60 mm Mortar. This was similar to the first one, except it's a lot smaller and the time to move your hand after you drop the mortar down the tube is even less.
We had a Marine holding down the launcher, while I looked like the guy to the right.
The mortars were awesome! But after about 60-70 mortars being launched range 47... kind of started catching on fire...
While we were firing the mortars, the other 2 groups were firing the .50 cal machine gun and the M240 Machine gun. I was super jealous! But we had to stop the entire evolution due to the catching fires so unfortunately I didn't get to fire the machine guns :(
Around 1730 we headed back to the squad bay where we packed our packs for Thursday and had evening chow. (Once again, it wasn't the best, but I was thankful to have something warm and filling inside my stomach.)
We had hygiene time, however were only given about 40 minutes this time. Our "house" aka the squad bay was getting pretty dirty, so we had to clean. Over and over and over.
I had a ridiculously cool day, shooting all the weapons. I've also earned a whole new respect and admiration for the Marines. This entire time, the Colonel really wanted us to understand what the MAGTAF was all about. (MAGTAF stands for Marine Air Ground Task Force) and after just those 4 days, while I probably still have so much more to learn, I definitely left with a better understanding. Marines do some pretty awesome stuff, but being a Marine requires a different mindset. The enlisted and the NCO's that worked with us that week are some of the coolest and bravest men I've ever talked to. The Marines that worked with us just came back from Afghanistan 2 months ago and had some awesome stories to tell. Hearing these stories are one of my favorite parts of talking to enlisted. They're all down to earth and chill, but fearless.
Going through this week is eye opening. Here you are, a comfy civilian sitting in the comfort of your home reading my blog where I'm sitting in my comfy hotel room. Did you know some of those Marines went 2 MONTHS without a shower!? I took a shower last night and it's likely you took one this morning or last night too. Next time you take a shower, savor it, be thankful, and send a little prayer out to the US Marines.
No comments:
Post a Comment