MikeBenton.org

Hi There!

 

Yes, I know it has been awhile since anything REALLY worthwhile has been posted here. That is okay though because I have been busy, busy, busy. Busy with what you ask? School, National Guard, the HOA…

For spring semester I was working on 15 credit hours and pulled in a 3.666 gpa. I got 3 A’s and a B in Pre-Calc. I am okay with the B because it was a tough class. The first summer session of this year I started taking more physics and calculus. These explain most of my business.

Between spring and summer semester, my company had Bradley Gunnery at Ft Irwin for 3 weeks. So there I was getting all dirty and sweaty, serving the nation. It was a great time actually. I am the Company Commander’s Gunner. My crew is awesome, I am not going to name any names (to protect the innocent J ) but our driver is probably the best I have ever seen. He is always on top of things and ready to learn more and do more. Very motivated and very bright. He was truly an asset. The CO on the other hand has been one of the few commanders I have ever had that actually motivates me to do better.

A Bradley. As a gunner I would be the guy on the right (from your POV)

Here is an easily understood page about the Bradley.

In Bradley Gunnery, crews maneuver and shoot through various tables (kind of like contests). Targets vary from 300 meters to ~3000 meters out. The crew engages these targets through different optics, different control stations and with different weapons systems. The variety is to simulate different battlefield conditions and trains the crew to proficiently use the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to suppress and destroy the enemy. In other words, to TRAUMATIZE THE ENEMY! One BFV is bad enough, but a platoon or a company of Bradleys moving in on you is not to be taken lightly.

We shot perfect on all the tables up to the last table where I missed one target by 6 inches. It was night, using thermals, manual traverse/elevation, and the target was ~1200 meters out. So we only got a Superior rating. L It was still fun, I learned a lot and got to work with a great crew. In the end my company got more higher qualifying scores than the rest of the battalion put together! clink…clink

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