WICHITA FALLS MAN
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Firing Range Safety at Fort Polk (Johnson), Louisiana
Take a break and read this story about my early U.S. Army days!
It was night firing training - with the M - 16 rifle - during Infantry Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Polk (now Fort Johnson), Louisiana. To mark the left and right limits of the range were wooden utility poles with red flashing lights on the tops. These were the big lights that you find in radio and TV transmission towers. On this particular range, the tops of these marker poles were below the high dirt backstop that protected the rest of Fort Polk from errant rounds.
The Range Safety Officer, or an officer with some similar title, was a 2nd Lieutenant. During our safety briefing before we started to kill targets, the Lieutenant warned us: "Do NOT shoot at my flashing red lights", referring to the flashing red lights atop the poles that marked the left and right limits of the range. Had this been done before and it failed to amuse him? I had never thought about such a dastardly deed until he mentioned it.
"Is there anyone downrange?"
"Ready on the left?"
"Ready on the right?"
"Ready on the firing line?"
"Commence firing!"
We were in the prone position. I was somewhere near the middle of a line of 20 or so troopers firing away at targets we could barely see.
There they were, flashing away on my left and right. Those big, juicy red targets atop those poles.
"Do NOT shoot at my flashing red lights" I could still hear the Lieutenant's warning. It was more of a plea than a warning as if it was a regular occurrence for some smart ass to shoot out the red lights.
I broke contact with my designated enemy paper target and swung my trusty Red Ryder BB Gun M-16 rifle a little to the left and there it was, in my rear sight aperture, waiting for a nice, hot 5.56 millimeter bullet.
"Do NOT shoot at my flashing red lights". I re-acquired my designated enemy paper target and squeezed off a few more rounds.
But there it was, on my left, flashing away, begging for attention.
Back to the left and back in my rear sight. Now, if I can find the front sight blade before I'm spotted. There it is - I think. Yes, good sight picture. I had it at my mercy. My finger tightened on the trigger.
Should I do it? A little tighter on the trigger. Would the Lieutenant know who did it?
BOOM!
The decision was no longer mine. The bullet was on its way. It caught the light in mid-flash. The flying glass, for the split second that it was illuminated by the last gasping flash of light, looked like a mini fireworks display. Back to my designated paper target just in time to hear the Lieutenant scream:
"Cease Fire - Cease Fire - Who shot out my ^$#@&*% light?"
Did he expect a confession? After he and several Drill Sergeants stomped up and down the line issuing one threat after another, firing at designated paper targets resumed. It was a good thing I had enough hits on my target to pass the night firing qualification before I killed the red, flashing enemy light because I couldn't hit the ground with my hat after that!
By the way, did you ever see the movie "Tigerland", starring Colin Farrel? That movie was supposed to be about Infantry training at Ft. Polk in 1971. I went through Infantry training at Ft. Polk in 1971 and nothing about the movie "Tigerland" reminded me of that experience. Well, maybe a pine tree.