Back in 1995 I was at FT Hood, Texas training
with a new unit (F Troop, 3-4 Cav, 3rd ID) with
a new helicopter (the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior) when
we were out on a field exercise. Now, my background
hadn’t been in a “service support” unit, soldiers
who help other soldiers get their jobs done, like
this one, I had been in a “combat” unit (an airborne
infantryman in the 82nd Airborne) which has the
primary “job” of the army; “killing people and
breaking things.”
Me and my fellow platoon mates were going about
the business of setting up our maintenance areas
(we were the “Armt Dawgs” of the helicopter maintenance
troop, we took care of all the helo weapons systems),
defensive positions, etc. when one of us asked
the other if the M-60 machinegun would work properly
with the blank ammo we had for it. Seeing an opportunity
to “lead by example” I was going to show them
how the “grunts” did it! I grabbed the M-60, walked
a few feet away from my buds and yelled “TEST
FIRE!!” at the top of my lungs followed immediately
by a long burst of machinegun fire! BAA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAO-O-o-o-w-w.
The following silence was deafening. Everyone
was stunned. Except me. Now very proud of myself
I walked back to my friends and handed them back
the MG. Then a bellowing voice rung throughout
the area, “WHO WAS THAT?!!” yelled the First Sergeant.
“It was me, SPC Reed, “I replied. “COME HERE NOW!”
That eventually worked itself out but we laughed
about it a long time, soldiers repeating it over
and over in remembrance, “TEST FIRE!! BAA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DA-DAO-O-o-o-w-w!!”
Jeff Reed
Founder
Test Fire! LLC |
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