The Old Folks Home

[ChickenCanoe]

There are (or were when I was in) 3 medals. Marksman, sharpshooter and expert. Experts, were truly experts, marksman went to everyone that didn't get the other two. From the picture there is no telling what medal it was since the designation hung on a chain below the medal and if they got other marksmanship awards they just kept hanging them below.
There were also recorded events for other designations like grenade, M-60 and .45 cal.

There were lots of shooting sessions but 'record fire' was when you were graded for the medal.
Two of the record fire events were in daylight, one was at night. All three were with open sights and pop-up silhouette targets at distances of 50-300 yards in daylight and 25-150 yards at night.They were careful to keep us in the dark the night of night record fire so our eyes were acclimated. I didn't do real well on my first daytime session but the second and the night session got me the expert medal. I could always see well at night from the nights on the farm working animals or hunting. The one that put me over the top was the second day session. My position was in a ravine shooting uphill. Luckily, the 300 meter target was on the horizon and I never missed one pop-up cause it was so easy to put the post sight on it.

 

[dsqard]

ChickenCanoe, I am pretty sure this was taken later in his military career since he is wearing corporal stripes (I think, hard to tell if there are two or three). He didn't go in with any college so at most he would have made it out of basic as a PV2. His badge is for expert. The laurel wreath around the cross is how you know. The little "sign" on the chains below the medal tell you which weapon the medal is for like rifle or grenade. When I graduated basic we had medals for rifle and for grenade because we qualified on both weapons. I only carried the grenade badge for a year and never requalified on them because my job didn't require grenade qualification. We did night firing but it wasn't part of the rifle qualification. All I know is that I was glad to get qualified on the first day so I got to go back to the barracks for KP duty. Two nights of showers felt wonderful after almost a week of no showers.

 

[tnspursfan09]

My Easter HAL babies are growing so fast! Today we moved their coop and run to a new, grassy spot in the yard. When we moved the run away from the house we noticed that something had been trying to chew through the run from beneath the porch...probably a rat or possum. Where the run is now it will be lit by our solar night lights.


This is Hedwig. She's my favorite.



The chick in the middle looks like a rooster to me, though I don't dare say that out loud. The DH thinks that I can somehow voodoo them into roosters just by saying it.

Yay for grass!

 

[Pozees]

Your babies look great! And I agree with you on the one in the middle. Your husband must think of you as having very mighty powers, how cool is that?!

 

[ozexpat]

Alive and well and in the Philippines

 

[bamadude]

Hope u have a good time oz.

 

[ozexpat]

Thanks bdude. Just hanging in the lounge till my domestic flight is called. Eggs and other cargo am cleared customs.

I have about 8 hours till I can see our view

 

[Wisher1000]

Welcome home, Oz.

 

[Pozees]

Alive and well and in the Philippines

Very glad to read this.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

ChickenCanoe, I am pretty sure this was taken later in his military career since he is wearing corporal stripes (I think, hard to tell if there are two or three). He didn't go in with any college so at most he would have made it out of basic as a PV2. His badge is for expert. The laurel wreath around the cross is how you know. The little "sign" on the chains below the medal tell you which weapon the medal is for like rifle or grenade. When I graduated basic we had medals for rifle and for grenade because we qualified on both weapons. I only carried the grenade badge for a year and never requalified on them because my job didn't require grenade qualification. We did night firing but it wasn't part of the rifle qualification. All I know is that I was glad to get qualified on the first day so I got to go back to the barracks for KP duty. Two nights of showers felt wonderful after almost a week of no showers.

I stand corrected. I didn't notice the stripes on the sleeve. OF brain altered memory. I should have gone up and pulled out my medals before I spoke.
I only had KP twice. A couple days before I went in, I wondered what I would be doing. I remembered a cartoon with a GI sitting pealing potatoes from a pile about 6' high. I imagined having to do that. A couple weeks later I had KP. One of the head cooks handed me a paring knife and sent me into another room. What I found there astounded me, it was a 6' high pile of potatoes. After about 3 hours, I put a big slice into the tip of my middle finger. I got 3 stitches. They lasted a day. From all the pushups the next day they all pulled out and I wasn't allowed to have them replaced. That finger bothered me a long time, it split open every time I did pushups.
I didn't like KP but it did save me from sleeping out in the woods in the rain a couple nights without a tent.

... Eggs and other cargo am cleared customs. ...

Good news, you really have that down to a fine science.