Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team soldiers conduct Halloween-themed marksmanship training

    116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team soldiers conduct Halloween-themed marksmanship training

    Photo By Frank O'Brien | Staff Sgt. Justin Moshkowski, a Lynchburg, Va., native, shows off his multiple head...... read more read more

    QALAT, AFGHANISTAN

    10.14.2011

    Story by Sgt. Frank O'Brien 

    116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

    ZABUL PROVINCE, Afghanistan – “We survived the zombie apocalypse!” shouted Sgt. 1st Class Brian S. Powers, as the last rifles fell silent. Powers, a Port Republic, Va., native with the Virginia Army National Guard, was overseeing rifle marksmanship training for soldiers at Forward Operating Base Lagman, Zabul province, Afghanistan, using paper targets printed with images of zombies. The cry “we survived!” meant that enough head shots had been scored by soldiers of the Staunton-based 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to successfully repel the hypothetical zombie apocalypse of the training scenario.

    Zombies are fictional slow-moving reanimated corpses made famous by George Romero’s classic horror film, “Night of the Living Dead” and AMC’s popular TV show, “The Walking Dead.” Like most famous pop culture monsters, zombies have a particular weakness: they can only be stopped by destroying or removing the head.

    “I only shoot headshots,” boasted Spc. Christopher J. McInerney of Norfolk, who was the best zombie marksman that day. “Zombies can’t handle this,” he added while striking a heroic pose.

    It is a common cliché in horror films that overconfident characters are usually killed shortly after making such boasts.

    All the soldiers shooting are assigned to the guard detail responsible for the security of the entrance and exit points of the 116th’s operations center at FOB Lagman. If necessary, soldiers are authorized to use deadly force to defend the base. Foot traffic to the operations center is forced to go through a narrow, tactical confine called a fatal funnel – easy to defend, yet hard for an enemy to escape.

    “With our fatal funnel setup, we’d have nothing but head shots,” said Sgt. Aaron C. Stewart of Lexington, N.C. “Our entry control point is very defensible from a zombie attack. And our level of motivation for today’s training speaks for itself: we’re ready to kill some zombies.”

    Guard duty is traditionally one of the most important, but least exciting, Army duties. Finding new ways to keep soldiers engaged and interested was part of the inspiration for the Halloween-themed range.

    "There’s a motivational aspect to today’s training," said Powers. "After the soldiers correctly zeroed their weapons, we put up the zombie targets and started them with five rounds to get a head shot. We want them to meet or exceed the standard," he added.

    Soldiers stateside normally train on their weapons using automated pop-up targets and fire from three positions: prone supported, prone unsupported and kneeling. For the simulated zombie apocalypse, soldiers fired standing or kneeling to replicate real world conditions.

    “I’ve always done well at ranges firing from the standing position,” said McInerney.

    Soldiers debated the tactical points of zombie combat. All agreed that setting a zombie on fire was tactically unsound by making a bad situation worse, but disagreed on the ideal non-rifle, anti-zombie weapon. Choices included: cricket bat, machete, chain saw and ninja stars.

    “Here’s a dirty little secret,” said Sgt. Matthew E. Barry of Arlington, Va., “Zombies have a very hard time opening combat locked doors on a vehicle … so get into a vehicle and fire from there.”

    “Many soldiers have a hard time opening combat locked doors,” joked Spc. Geoffrey C. Jackson, of Charlottesville, Va., to approving laughter from other soldiers.

    While an armored vehicle appears to make an ideal stronghold, in a crisis, it would be limited by fuel levels. According to the “Zombie Survival Guide” by Max Brooks, the ideal vehicle is a bicycle – light, fast, quiet and easy to move over difficult terrain.

    Although the conversations were hypothetical and the training lighthearted, real issues that could have serious impact in the event of an insurgent attack were identified as part of the training. Some weapons needed to have their sight posts adjusted. Some soldiers needed a quick re-familiarization with marksmanship fundamentals. And there was an occasional weapon jam.

    “You’re shooting all around the head!” said Powers to one soldier. “If that was a zombie, we’d all be dead.”

    What went unspoken, but was understood by all, was that whether it be a fictitious zombie or real enemy, hitting the target accurately is deadly serious business for soldiers deployed to Afghanistan.

    LEAVE A COMMENT

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 10.14.2011
    Date Posted: 10.23.2011 04:31
    Story ID: 78868
    Location: QALAT, AF

    Web Views: 733
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN