Staff Writer
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| Co. B 1/46th Inf. (Co. 7) Cadet Jerry Caffall-Davis, of University of Utah, listens to 3rd Platoon drill sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Donald Salladay, for advice on zeroing his rifle at Handiboe Range. Photo by Chen Wang |
“They do it to stay alive. That’s the whole point of BRM ... to be able to effectively engage enemies,” said 1st Sgt. James Bryant of Co. B. 1/46th Inf. (Co. 7).
Cadets attending the Leader’s Training Course arrive with various degrees of previous weapons experience. Some have shot before, but nothing like an M-16.
“First thing I think of is ‘keep the butt of the weapon tight against my shoulder,’ ” Co. B 1/46 Inf. (Co. 7) Cadet Travis Brumm said. “I try to get in a regular breathing pattern and line up my site post.”
Brumm, from Fort Wayne, Ind., is in the National Guard and an ROTC Cadet through the Xavier University program, so he had prior experience shooting M-4 and M-16 rifles. He thought the hardest thing was getting “zeroed” within the 4-centimeter center.
“It was a little different, because I’ve never fired prone and supported, from sandbags,” he said. “The rifles are a little old, so it took a little getting used to.”
Co. A 1/46th Inf. (Co. 6) Cadet Kyle Farver had fired firearms before, but 10 years had gone by since he last shot .22-caliber rifles for the Boy Scouts. Before BRM, he had never shot an M-16 rifle.
“It’s absolutely different,” said the University of Illinois Champagne-Urbana Cadet, of the differences between M-16 and a .22-caliber rifle.
Before shooting, Cadets must learn the four fundamentals of shooting, which are steady position, breathing, aiming and squeezing the trigger. The four fundamentals are the most important part of BRM, Bryant said.
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| Co. B 1/46th Inf. (Co. 7) Cadet Patrick Resetar, of Drexel University, practices sighting a rifle with his hands during shooting at Handiboe Range, Photo by Chen Wang |
Then they need to concentrate on breathing. They start exhaling until they hit that natural pause, then focus on trigger squeeze.
“Once they have it on the target, they should be pulling the trigger without jerking it,” he said.
For Cadets to reach the level of firing real weapons, they must master several steps.
First, Cadets are taught how to disassemble weapons and how to clean them. Then they go through a simulator, where they get a feel for the weapon. Then it’s onto the actual M-16.
Cadets, before they go through a field simulation, must “zero.” Cadets take five shots from 25 meters away, then, guided by a drill sergeant, go see where their shots landed. If a Cadet gets all five shots within a 4-centimeter area anywhere on the paper, they make adjustments until four shots are in the 4-centimeter area of the paper. Those who don’t pass go to remedial shooting to receive additional instruction.
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| During the basic rifle marksmanship zeroing training session, Cadets are only allowed to load five bullets into the M-16 magazines. Photo by Chen Wang |
Co. B. Cadet David Luscombe from Davidson College had shot guns previously, but never an M-16. So he struggled a bit, but was able to qualify.
“I messed up in the beginning, but then I kind of focused more and did better on some of the later parts,” he said.
Bravo Co. Cadet Charles Gray had his weapon jam several times but also qualified.
“I can think of one time where I hit a 300-meter one, and then my eyes where so focused down-field I missed a 50-meter one,” he said of the difficulties of qualifying. “That was probably the hardest thing, just locating with your eyes and staying focused and relaxed.”