Time to brag....

[DAA1]

Some of you know my "day job" is being a Detachment Sgt for a USAR Quartermaster Battalion, you know the low paid "First Sergeant".

Well I got to brag on my troops this past weekend....
I had 34 soldiers on my battle roster that went to the range. 2 Officers shot the M9, 1 CSM shot the M9, 2 Warrents and 29 Enlisted shot the M16.

Here is the "bragging part" 100% qual for everyone. I think this is a first for my unit where everyone makes it through the qual range. I had a couple who struggled, but I also have some darn good folks who coached them to success. These soldiers all put forth a great effort and I got to brag on them. Yeah I know it's only 34 soldiers, but we usually have a couple who just can't qual on the M16. This time they all did. I was so happy when one of my troops who was at her wits end finally made it. 70% made it through on the first try. A few had to try 2, 3, or 4 times, but what counts is that none of them gave up.

I got some good troops, some good officers, and some damn good NCO's to make all of this happen. I can't take credit for their success, what I can take credit for is giving them the time for marksmanship training, getting them to work as a team to help eachother out, and they managed to teach me a thing or two as well. These troops make me proud.

I forget how many units that were there had 100% qual, but it was less than half. For once we were in the top half, and we came, we saw, we qualified, and we left with a story to tell.

Just thought I would share this with you folks, nice to have good things to say.

[bullseye]

That's great, you all should be proud of yourselves. Everyone passed :smartass: Keeps the morale up as well and builds the team that way.

[WildBillCody]

Right on, who says Army guys can't shoot!!
What is the course of fire? Pop up targets?

[DAA1]

Yep Pop ups... darn hard to see at 300 meters....

[weasel_master]

Good job DAA. What is the requirements for qualifying? A few weeks ago the ROTC here did qualifying on the M9. Always happy to see their smiles when they're done.

[WildBillCody]

Yep Pop ups... darn hard to see at 300 meters....
I'd love to try that one time.

[DAA1]

Good job DAA. What is the requirements for qualifying? A few weeks ago the ROTC here did qualifying on the M9. Always happy to see their smiles when they're done.

for the M16 24 out of 40, 20 rounds foxhole supported, 20 prone unsupported. Elbow and knee pads help a lot..

M9 I think is 32 of 40 to max it... That is you get 40 rounds to hit 32 target with the pistol.. I think 20 gets you qualified, but I have not shot that range in a few years, last time I did was 32/32 expert...

M16 I barely made it....

[Planning]

go for it, great time to brag. thanks for your service and there service........

[Fido Dog]

Bragging rights approved!!!!:gang:

Congrats to you and all the men that pulled it out!

[Phirebug]

that's pretty damn good...no matter how good your guys are or how well you train them, it always seems like every company has one or two knuckleheads that just can't shoot water from a boat.

congrats!

[wandering_ronin]

Hoo-uh! Good job! It is a great feeling to get everyone qualified.

I remember coaching my squad back in OSUT before we qualified with the M9, and seeing the grins on those kids faces when they made it. I was the old guy at 31, and most of these kids had not shot a pistol before the military. It gave me a warm fuzzy to help them.

Before we went to Bosnia, I ended up coaching some of our guys on the 249, 240 and M2 qualification courses. The @#$%^& lost my qualifications on the 240 and the M2, so they don't show up on my 214. I was proud of having shot expert on both. My SAW qualification is there at least.

[M1 Tanker]

Its always great to be able to brag about that DAA! Those 300 meter targets suck...takes a few seconds just to acquire them, must less get a sight picture and pop it before it goes down.

[rustypirate]

Congrats to all.

I remember shooting 38 out of 40 on my basic qualification.

[drhall762]

Out - F___ing - Standing! Nice to know someone is still keeping their end up. When the fecal material hits the air movement device shooting straight is what counts!

Dave :sniper:

[vpost]

My congrats to the NCO's DAA. I remember shooting 39 out of 40, but that first 50 m tgt always got me!

[Grasshopper]

:sterb126: That is good stuff D! I worry about some of the rear guard troops sometimes, but now I know that all of you guys are FKN serious about shooting. This is good news and a boost of morale to all of your troops.
I like knowing that from airborn to cooking, all of you can use your rifles and side arms well. Woe to the bad guys to even try to hit a "soft target".