UDAIRI: FINAL PREPS FOR IRAQ

The final evolution prior to our ultimate destination was the Udairi Range, run by MPRI (a civilian contract, staffed by former Army NCO's). The bottom line up front was that it was a blast to shoot and run with the Hummers.

As you can see from the picture above, things got pretty cozy in the evening, but after a few "Good night John-boys", folks started to settle in. No showers, but it's nothing that few baby wipes and some bottled water can't handle. The tent was air conditioned, and comfortable for us to sleep and have our classes in. Not bad....

The next morning was Close Quarters Marksmanship...probably the most exciting part of the training. You learn to shoot on the move, on the run, between people, and even turning around to shoot the target behind you....all in a 50 man front. Sounds a bit dangerous, but the instructors do a GREAT job of stepping you through each course of fire, so you can run at full speed when you put rounds down range.

That afternoon, we had a few classes in convoy operations and organization. I can't go into specifics here, but running a convoy is defintely NOT just keeping a bunch of trucks running in a straight line. It's using all your assets to survey and protect the convoy, including communications and task organization.

Some folks didn't like the idea of roughing it, but the training was worth the trip, and a little sweat equity. Now we are just chomping at the bit to get to our commands, and to get started.
More to follow.....

SEMPER FORTIS,
BEAR