Comments for Silly Military Tricks.

Silly Military Tricks.

2006-01-20T12:00:18Z

Some people will do *anything* for fun.

Atlantic Coast (Jan. 17, 2005) � A SEAL delivery vehicle team (SDV) perform a fast-roping exercise from a MH-60S Seahawk helicopter to the topside of Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Toledo (SSN 769). The mission of the SDV teams includes clandestine insertion of SEALs, ordnance delivery, reconnaissance, and locating and the recovery of objects. U.S. Navy photo by Journalist 3rd Class Davis J. Anderson

Yes. There *is* a tinge of envy in my typing this morning.

Air Force Ninjas!

SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- An Airman with the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing fires on an enemy position during simunition training at a forward-deployed location Jan. 17. Simunition training combines paint ball with live bullets that are slightly smaller than actual M-9 and M-16 bullets to prevent injury. Each bullet tip contains paint and detergent, allowing players to know when they are hit. When used with the high-tech helmet and body armor, simunition training allows troops to train under live-fire conditions while causing minimal injuries to participants. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Strang)

Comment from J.M. Heinrichs on 2006-01-21

2006-01-22T02:53:46Z

Simunition: from the Great White North- http://www.simunition.com/ Cheers JMH

Comment from cw4(ret)billt on 2006-01-20

2006-01-21T04:50:49Z

Interesting to see that *some* unit's history of doing Dumb Things In Training has the strength of tradition behind it... Won't blame the NCOs for that, either.

Comment from SangerM on 2006-01-20

2006-01-21T03:58:28Z

When I was in the 25th Inf in Hawaii (75-76), we used to run a pretty tough obstacle course (lots of stuff I've never seen anywhere else). Sometimes we'd don these heavy-duty rubberized hoods that had a screen for a face plate (like the screen in the window of a microwave oven), and under the armpit straps that secured the hood. As we ran the obstacles, the NCOs running the place would shoot at us with bb or pellet guns. No kidding. You'd be up on some 2x4 about 8 feet off the ground, running just to keep your balance, and you'd get whacked in the knee or the leg or whatever, and if you were not focused, off you'd go. I tumbled a couple of times, and was shot off a rope once. That was NOT fun. And talk about getting you angry enough to try really dumb stuff! Aaaarrrrrmmmmyyyyyyy Trrrrraining Suuuuurrrr! Feh!

Comment from AFSister on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T22:25:02Z

It's the stupid stuff people do with weapons that scares the livin' daylights outta me. I know I should know how to handle a gun, but I don't. I've only fired one once, and I'm not getting into that experience right now. Suffice it to say, I won't be picking one up again without knowing exactly how to use it.

Comment from jim b on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T20:02:03Z

I remember being tapped as a safety officer on the front 3"50 mounts of an LPD once. Never again. It was gunnery practice on a towed aerial target. The Italians were flyin the tow plane. I had binos. The gun crews were firing on radar control. When they thought they were ready to fire, the gun chief tuned and hollerd "Check sight"? I was to confirm that the guns were oriented on the towed targed not the tow plane. Guess what? Yes it was a timed (read some felt pressure) exercise. Yes radar can see farther than me and binos. I refused to give the response that would let them fire which was "Check sight safe". The gun captain repeated his question. I scanned down the barrels with binos. Again no response, I saw nothing. Then suddenly the gun captain talked into his mike, and flipped the switch on his auto control thingie ... the guns snapped about 5 degrees to the left. I began to see a plane come into view towing a target. The guns were oriented closer to the target as they tracked. Again the question "Check Sight" I responded "Check Sight Safe" Yanno Naval guns have a much nastier "crack" than arty. And with the auto loaders and double guns they shoot like ... really quick. We finished the exercise. I walked to the gun captain and asked. .... you were trackin the plane at frist weren't you? He said yup, then went back to whathehelleveritwaz he was doing on his gun thingie. He wasn't worried, I was the one that would have gone to jail. All together now .... In the Navy, you can catch a strange disease.. In the Navy, you can go down on your knees ... In the Navy, you can swim the 7 seas ... In the Navy ... In the Navy...

Comment from Pogue on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T17:45:10Z

They *should* love you, Bill! That's exactly the way to run a simunitions range. It may offend some of the high speed low drag guys, but in a place where mistakes have serious consequences offending people shouldn't be a concern.

Comment from cw4(ret)billt on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T17:19:52Z

They'd hate me if I were the Safety Officer. *pan in* *scroll: immediately following orientation and safety briefings...* 1. "Everyone in the firing order--secure a zip-lock bag, print your name on the label and empty your pockets. Everything goes into the bag. No exceptions. None." 2. "Everyone in the firing order--weapons safe, bolts/slides locked to the rear, weapons up and downrange. Proceed to the ammo point, place the plastic bags in the box in front of the NCOIC, secure and inspect ten loose rounds, then form a line right here, in front of me. Do not load your mags until I have inspected each round." 3. *ring* "Range, Tuttle. No, the first rounds haven't been fired yet. I haven't opened the range. When will firing commence? I'll call and let you know. Yessir, I realize that it's a tight schedule. But it's my range and my trainees and everyone leaves here in the same condition he arrived in. Out." Heh. They'd ab-so-tivly hate me...

Comment from LarryK on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T17:08:52Z

My son used simunitions when going through the Maritime Law Enforecement Academy. They were doing one practice boarding and while hiding (he thought) behind a bulkhead he exposed his knee just a bit. An instructor shot him in the knee and he folded out into the passageway. He said it was a real lesson to watch what you are doing and hurt like crazy though no doubt less than a real bullet would. They wore all their regular basic vests and pads they would have in a real boarding along with full face protection. Very similar to the picture above.

Comment from Pogue on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T16:17:48Z

Yeah, that was a pretty poor description of simunitions... They are a special round that can be fired through a real weapon. Simunitions hurt when they hit you, but aren't designed to penetrate. Of course you do need face and throat protection. That being said, there have been some horrible accidents when simunitions and live ammo weren't controlled well enough on the range. I don't know about the military, but law enforcement have had some fatalities when people loaded live ammo instead of simunitions during training exercises.

Comment from cw4(ret)billt on 2006-01-20

2006-01-20T15:02:54Z

"Simunition training combines paint ball with live bullets that are slightly smaller than actual M-9 and M-16 bullets to prevent injury." Got it--I'm gonna be downrange while live fire is being conducted with "slightly smaller" bullets. NFW. Glad I'm not signed for that particular range--I've found live rounds mixed with *blanks* in a mag...