Guernsey, WY. ULK!!!

So as you know, and if you didn't now you do, I am deploying soon. NOw in a normal unit this is easy or maybe just easier. The Marine Corps, and probably all the brench's of Military, has lots of "Annual Training" that has to be made current before deployments. This includes a yearly qualification in the gas chamber, the rifle range(table 1 nd 2) and swim qual(cause we are amphibious warriors and all. Now in most units these are kept fairly current. Apparently not so at a reserve station! This year we went to Guernsey, Wyoming which is home to a small base holding Army, Airforce and the bad high school kids.

Gas Chamber
This sounds a LOT more scary then it actualy is. The qualification is actual called the "Confidence Chamber," as it is supposed to build confidence in our gas masks, but gas chamber is a way cooler title! What this entails is haveing a short class on our how to properly use our masks, a practice run and then comes the dark shack of CS doom. The gas we use is pretty much just a beefed up version of pepper spray which "attacks" any part of the body that is moist(Eyes, Ears, and...wait the human body is made up of 70% water huh.) It is uncomoftable yes but a piece of cake. You must walk into the shack , which usually has a burn barrel in it filled with several tablets of the afor mentioned gas, with your mask on and jsut wait for further instruction.

The instructor inside will count down from three and when he gets do done you have to stick your fingers into your mask, touching the plastic eyepiece which breaks the seal on your mask. then he Yells "GAS GAS GAS" and you put it back on, clear the bad air out, and start breathing again.

Next he counts from three again, you then slide the mask so it is sitting on top of you head. "gas gas gas" and you put it back on and Clear it.

The next part is tricky. He counts from three again at which point you take itcompletely off and hold it straight out in front of you. Now each time you break the seal they tell you to close your eyes and hold your breath as those are VERY moist parts oy your body. Well part of the third section is ensuring that you have the mask off long enough that you HAVE to take a little gulp of air/CS gas and then you feel the effects on your lungs. It makes you cough something aweful and then when he yells gas gas gas, it is harder to clear your mask because you feel like you can't get a good bit of air to blow out the bad gas in your mask.

Now on a side note EVERY jarhead out there has to do this in Boot Camp but there your have about a dozen Drill Instructors in the chamber that are screaming, yelling, challenging your gender, pounding on the walls and floor and just generally freaking you out! Everybody has to make it through this chamber as anybody who trys to run out will be tackled by a D.I. and then they will be "talked' to and sent through again until they get it right.

This sounds a little aweful I know but Marines have to Qual in the chamber every year and after accomplishing it in Boot under the INSANE conditions, it is a piece of cake. I guess you could say that it builds confidence in your self as well as your gear.

The Rifle Range
Now this is where the fun begins. The reservist qual on just the M16A2 service rifle. The active guys, on the other hand get to qual with the M16, M4, 203 Gernade Launcher, 249 SAW, 240 Golf or Bravo(240G, 240B), the Ma Deuce(M2) and the Mark 19 (Mk 19). Each of these weapons hold a VERY special place in my heart. There is just something Beautiful about puttin hundreds of rounds down range and the smell of gun powder in the morning that gets me all excited. The most fun, by far is the M2 and the Mk 19. The M2 browning .50 caliber maching gun is the kinda gun that makes any boy feel like, not just a man, but a demi=god! These rounds will literally tear buildings apart! At a cyclic rate of fire(pressing the trigger and holding on) you can actually fire 450 rounds per minute! With a max effective range of 1.2 miles this is a very effective piece of death dealing. The Mk 19 has the same kind of feel except instead of .50 cal bullets you have grenades. Watching grenades thump out of you machine gun at 60 rounds per min(the cyclic rate being 375-400 a min) is awesome. This one has a max effective range of about 1500 meters. This is just as fun as the rounds used are high explosive M430 grenades. I pull trigger and things go boom.

We did all of this BEFORE the reservist finished there Qual. Apparently they ALL forgot how to use a simple rifle. This gives you an exmple of how difficult they seem to make things.

Oh well. Guernsey was a really fun time aside from the last day. We shot in the freezing rain and wind for 10 straight hours! Apparently we were just on the outskirts of a super cell. I believe the finalcount was 7 tornados between Guernsey and Denver. Lots of damage, lots of hurt, and one poor guy camping who died, is the current toll.

I might add that I am fine and no Marines were hurt.

I guess you could say a good time was had by all.

All I know how to do with my pinky is an eye gouge an a muscle gouge. Both of which are very painful, eye being long term, Musclebeing short term, but neither will kill you in under ordinary circumstances. thats for Mikecito!

Signing out. "In case I don't see ya, Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night!"