What an interesting and stressful week.

This week I put in 12 hour work days a week. I was doing the rifle range to update my qualification. I was waking up at 0345 (0400 if I slept in). On Monday the fires on Pendleton prevented us from shooting (it ended up for the best which I’ll get to later). Then we worked until about 1600. The next day we did the same thing, but we shot. I did pretty well, but we had to work until about 1530-1600 (unlike everyone else who shot). Wednesday I shot TERRIBLY. I couldn’t hit shit! I messed up my first two shots and it through the rest of my shooting, and again I worked late. Yesterday was even worse. I was doing fine, but then it rained and messed up my classes and made things VERY cold. I was shooting in a puddle, completely soaked, freezing, and could barely tell which target was mine. In fact, it was so bad, everyone just shot their rounds to get off the firing line and get warm. Then I had to work the rest of the day in cold wet clothes. All of these days I only had half an MRE too. Then today was sort of stressful because of qualification. Then I had to work until 1500. Not only that, but I had to do stupid work. I also had to stress about getting the work done on time and making sure was good. To top it off I lost a bit of hearing since my positions broke the seals on my ear plugs. Ah what a weak, maybe I can get compensated for it though through disability.

Ouch for the hearing X_x. What were qualifications? What’s half an MRE? What do you do at the firing range exactly?

I had an interesting week myself. 10-13 hour days of work, 3 midterms and a 3 hour last minute midterm review I had to give to a couple hundred anxious bio students in a room too small, amongst other things.

It is where you shoot hit or miss on targets from known distances. We do 5 rounds sitting, kneeling, and standing at 200yds (in 20 minutes), then 10 “rapid fire” (70 seconds with 2 magazines of 5 rounds) rounds in the kneeling. At the 300yd line we do 5 kneeling, then “prone” (on the ground) rapid fire with 2 magazines of 5 rounds. At the 500 yd line we have 10 minutes to get 10 rounds off. We have to get a bare minimum of 25 hits to qualify. A half an MRE is justing eating certain parts. Like today I had a “sport bar”, a packet of peanut butter, and a coke and the MRE had drink mix, a meal, and crackers in addition to that that I didn’t eat. Oh, on the firing range we practice the course for 3 days then do it a fourth day for score. We just shoot live rounds and get used to everything trying to hit the target.

I know how you feel about the tests. On a normal week, I start work at 0715 and end at 2200. With an hour and half of driving before 0715.

What would it mean to qualify (or more seriously, not to) ? Are there consequences?

What’s up with your hearing? How do you know the extent of the damage? How’d your plug break?

Originally posted by Sinistral
[b]What would it mean to qualify (or more seriously, not to) ? Are there consequences?

What’s up with your hearing? How do you know the extent of the damage? How’d your plug break? [/b]

Qualifying just means getting enough hits on the target for points. If oyu don’t qualify it hurts you for promotion, you get heavily teased, and you have to redo it until you qualify and when you do you get the lowest score no matter how wll you shot. Such as you could fail, then get a perfect, and have it recorded as if you barely qualified.

I just have to turn my radio up a bit more, and when I hear things normally my ears feel a bit strange and numb. I hear a ring every time I hear gun shots now. It isn’t too bad, but I’d rather not have it at all. The seal on the ear plug broke when my cheek rested on the buttstock of the weapon to aim.

If does sound like you had a bad week. But my thoery is, you can only go up, after a week like that.

Luckily my hearing is a bit better. I don’t have the constant feeling that I’m wearing ear plugs when I’m not (everything sounded like that for bit).

Edit: On a side ntoe, how do you like my new avatar? It is me on Halloween.

Infonick, I am uncertain what you are being for Halloween, but it vaguely reminds me of Roman citizens.

As to the hearing, I think after a while these things heal, whatever people say about ‘permanent loss’ and so forth. Just takes a while to properly adjust and so forth.

Good luck on your future days!