Yum Yum Get Some!

Ft Lewis, WA

The days continue to be an amorphous continuum of gaggle-marching to an asbestos-era ramshackle training portable followed by a visit to the DFAC (The Dining Facility), with some "PT" at the gym mixed in for good measure.  On occasion we'll do something memorable, but truly, I can't recall distinctly one day from the next.  One of the more memorable days this week was when we went to the 50 cal and M240 and M249 machine gun (very real) simulator.  This was similar to the M16 simulator with a few exceptions.  We were instructed not to hold down the triggers for continuous bursts of fire as that wastes rounds.  One is supposed to have a 6 to 9 round burst and to facilitate this you are encouraged to yell out something that lasts, well, for 6 to 9 rounds.  The only repeatable saying in a PG rated format is "Yum Yum Get Some!"  Evidently I missed my true calling as a machine gunner as I was quite proficient in "killing" the digital targets with minimal bursts of rounds.  I only expended 64 rounds for 10 targets placed at various distances, which was about half of the next most efficient shooter.  Essentially I was only "Yum Yumming" and still "getting some."

"Dominoes, this is Fort Lewis, Over!"


Today was packed: we started off in "Commo" class, in which we learned the various communications gear.  It turned into a 6 hour lesson in button-mashing various battle hardened and encrypted CB radios. That's a short sell actually, as some were satellite UHF radios.  Nonetheless, we basically mashed multiple buttons in a never-to-be-remembered order to load the crypto and put various frequencies into the dull green boxes.  It was torture, and totally unnecessary.

After the six hours of Commo training we did something which is probably very useful - Humvee evacuation simulations.  First we learned all about it in class, to include actual videos of Humvees surviving an IED blast, as well as gory stories (i.e. warnings if you don't pay attention) of Humvees that had turned over in water and in which the passengers could not egress.  Horrible way to go.

We then went to the other side of base where the simulators were.  Big Humvees without wheels on hydraulic spits that could be turned very rapidly 360 degrees, leaving the strapped in occupants upside down.  There was also foam "detritus" placed in the Humvee to simulate "missile hazards", e.g. a foam CO2 extinguisher and foam gatorade bottles, etc.  These of course bounced all over your head and body while you rolled like shake and bake.  We also had to hold onto our weapons while this was happening.  Once the vehicle-on-a-spit stopped rolling we would egress as best we could, hanging upside down, and then set up a defensive perimeter.  It was pretty fun all in all.  We were told that this would be the only time we'd have fun doing this because in the real world we'd be really hating it.  A plus for accuracy there.