The standard side arm issued in the Army is the Berretta 9mm, otherwise known as the M9. Prior to deployment, all soldiers authorized to carry the M9 are required to re-qualify on the weapon. This is a policy that applies to all weapons systems that the soldiers will use. Re-qualification is divided into three parts: 1) class room instruction; 2) electronic firing range; and, 3) live fire.

The class room instruction was taught by SFC Snider. An older gentleman with a strong southern accent. He is a man whose knowledge of the pistol seems second nature; a throw back to the legends of days long past. Providing a mix of Army tested instruction with the experience of an instructor that actively shoots, the soldiers were provided with a solid base of teaching that will undoubtedly benefit them in the weeks and months to come.

From the classroom we moved to an indoor electronic firing range. Here the soldiers were given a chance to practice their shooting techniques, firing at an electronically projected field of targets. The range simulated what they would be encountering in the actual live fire. As silhouettes appeared, aiming confirmation was made with a small dot that appeared on the target prior to engagement. This system allows the Army to offer greater weapons firing practice for the soldiers at a lower cost in dollars and time.

The final destination was the live fire range. Here, silhouettes would mechanically raise from behind earth berms for limited number of seconds. Soldiers were required to engage the targets, with hits registered visually by seeing the silhouettes fall back to the ground; hits were also recorded electronically with a qualification score given at the end. All soldiers must qualify, even if it meant returning to the range at a later time or date to fire again.

The daytime portion of the live fire was divided into (5) sequences, each with an elevated level of difficulty. The live firing exercises included changing magazines on the pistol multiple times during a particular sequence as well as engaging multiple targets. After completing the day time portion of the live fire, we returned at dust for the final round. In the dark, soldiers were tested on their ability to "point-and-shoot," having to rely on their association between their visual focus and the practiced placement of the pistol; the sights on the weapon were not visible. Two out of five silhouettes had to be hit to successfully pass this final phase.

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Copyright, Scott Kesterson- 2006

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