February 5, 2007

• Today was day 2 of being the OIC for the grenade range.  The main difference from yesterday was that today, we were using live grenades.  You could tell that I was looking forward to this day.  As I prepared to leave the company area, the sun was shining, the temperature wasn’t too cold, and it seemed like it would be a nice day.  Jump forward to an hour later, when it began to snow. 

  Snow isn’t too big of an issue.  The only reason that show would close the range is if it is more than 2 inches deep, which would prevent EOD from finding a grenade if it didn’t go off.  However, it was a problem for me, as I did not pack my Gore-Tex parka, and I was getting somewhat wet.  Fortunately, nature only did this enough to make me generally miserable.  Then it began to drizzle for a little bit before letting up. 

  Meanwhile, my Company Commander decided to pay a visit and try to sabotage my efforts.  Somehow, when I asked my supply sergeant to bring some radios out, he decided to pass them off to the CO, who, when he arrived at the range and was asked for them stated, “I’m not range detail.”  Wonderful, Sir.  Way to support your company.  Now unable to communicate efficiently over a 300 meter distance, I devised a plan that worked rather well, but took an iteration or three to take effect.  The CO ensured that during these iteration, he would repeatedly ask me about the plan.  I felt like fragging him, Vietnam style.
  

  Meanwhile, the grenade throwing went extremely well.  Nothing dropped, and no one froze in the pit.  My only gripe is that on a nearby range, I guess that they were blowing up land mines, which surprised the hell out of me when I first heard the extra explosions.  As we neared the end, a grenade was thrown and I did my normal thing of counting to 6 while I waited for the boom:

  “1 thousand, 2 thousand, 3 thousand, 4 thousand, 5 thousand, 6 thousand, 7 thousand, 8 thousand..???”

  Needless to say, the grenade didn’t go off.  So I had to call EOD, and have them come out.  They arrived 45 minutes later, which is not really bad, since they have to wait an hour to detonate the thing.  I expect that they have to get their bomb suit and stuff, like you see in the newspapers, and get dressed.

  The EOD NCO comes out with nothing more than the same body armor and kevlar that I am wearing.  He then walks into the pit to look at the grenade, while his assistant preps a block of C4 to blow the thing up.  He places the explosives on top of the grenade, pills the fuse on the charge, and walks out.  Two minutes later, there is a boom that is much better than what the grenades were providing.

  Turns out the grenade had a hung striker.  Somehow, the striker, which strikes the fuse once the spoon is released, managed to get a rock stuck between itself and the fuse.  My guess is that the striker initially got stuck (this lot of grenades was made in 1975), and didn’t move until the grenade struck the ground, at which time it grabbed a piece of gravel in the pit.

  When he was done, I asked him if he would like to stay around, just in case something else happened, since there were only a few people.  He declined, saying that he was filling in for his 1SG back at the office.  He took off in his truck and we restarted training.

  Five grenades later I’m counting:

  “1 thousand, 2 thousand, 3 thousand, 4 thousand, 5 thousand, 6 thousand, 7 thousand, 8 thousand..???”

  Too bad that EOD didn’t stay.  They came back out and repeated their procedure, and I decided to end the range, both because it was about that time when the ranges need to be shut down, and because it just seemed that the grenades were against us.

  Black 6, out.

  • 5:51 pm
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