Remembering USMC 1958
I was a 3 stripe Jr DI at MCRD SDiego. We had a platoon up at Camp Matthews for 2 weeks of weapons training. For fam with the 1911, it was done at 15 yards on a cement walkway. I was watching my recruits carefully as were the MTU Instructors. Command was given to "Fire" and shots rang out as the recruits tried to keep their shots someplace within the area of the West coast. I heard a recruit holler out, "I'M HIT" as he fell to the ground. I ran over to him as did several others including the duty Corpsman. An immediate command to "CEASE FIRING" given.The recruit was a skinny kid and was holding his thigh. I looked at the recruit to the right of him who was standing there with a dazed look on his face and saw blood on his left leg below the knee. I asked what happened and he didn't answer. He was in shock. I took his 1911, cleared it and put it on the bench. Hollered for the Corpsman to take a look.
Turns out he had a failure to go into battery and instead of going to "raised pistol" with his hand in the air as directed, he tried to push the slide home with his hands kind of pointed down below waist level and had his finger on the trigger. It went off, bored a hole down thru his leg just below the inside of the left knee and exited just above his ankle. The bullet bounced off the cement and hit the recruit next to him knocking him off his feet. It was fortunate the bullet went between the bones of his lower leg. I went to see him in the hospital the next day and he was going to be OK. Never saw him again. The skinny kid had a genuine story to tell about his days in Boot camp! Huge bruise on his thigh but otherwise OK.
Semper fi to all who have given it all so that we are free to live our lives.
RK
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I am a pacifist trained in the arts of war to enforce my right to be a pacifist.
Last edited by Flyinrock1; Today at 10:41 AM.
Remembering USMC 1958
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