Week 7

This was by far my favorite week.

The rifle range! Monday through Thursday is spent at the rifle range practicing. As opposed to grass week were Jared was just sitting around staring at targets, this week he is actual shooting at targets.

Marine Corps Table 1 shooting consists of three different ranges. The 200 yard, 300 yard, and 500 yard. You start at the 200 with a 15 round slow fire that takes 20 minutes. You start in the sitting firing your first 5 shots. Each individual shot is marked on a the target one at at time. From the sitting you go to the kneeling for 5 more shots, than the standing for the last five.
Then the 200 yard rapid fire. 10 rounds in 60 seconds. Then the target gets pulled and all 10 rounds are marked.

The next set is 5 rounds in the kneeling from the 300 yard line with a 5 minutes. Then another rapid fire. 10 more rounds in the sitting from 300 yards with 60 seconds.

The final set is 10 rounds with 10 minutes from the prone position(laying down) at 500 yards. This one was scary at first because I couldn't even seen the black and white of the targets at 500 yards. Easy enough though. Just aim center mass. At 500 yards your front sight covers up the entire center ring so it can be tricky.

We are the only service that fires at 500 yards. This is because the Marines started out as snipers on Navy ships when we were first formed.

Each round is worth a possible 5 points with a total possible score of 250. Depending on you score you will be awarded 1 of 3 rifle badges that are worn on your dress uniforms.

The right is marksman, center is sharpshooter and left is expert.

As a bit of morbid history...

Charles Whitman killed 12 people from a 28 story tower in Austin Texas from distances up to 400 yards.

Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy from 250 feet at a moving target with an old Italian bolt action rifle. He got off 3 rounds in only 6 seconds scoring 2 hits including a head shot.

The thing they have in common? They learned to shoot in Marine Corps boot camp. While these are both bleak moments in history, Marines carry this as a sort of badge of honor.

"The most dangerous weapon is a Marine and his Rifle."
"No better friend, no worse enemy."

The Marines Rifle creed. We recited this constantly during the second month.

This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.

My rifle, without me, is nothing. Without my rifle, I am nothin. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will...

My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, nor the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit...

My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage as I will ever guard my legs, my arms, my eyes and my heart against damage. I will keep my rifle clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will...

Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We
are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until victory is America's and there is no enemy, but peace!