Range preparation

i found myself donning the stinky helmet and dingy webbing this morning. Infact, i was preparing for a Technical handling Test. This is a test that supposedly test your knowledge of the weapon allows the tester to confirm that the-would-be firer has adequate knowlege of safety issues that are part and parcel with operating a rifle.

It is a fiasco from the beginning if i am allowed to tone down my words. Immediate action drills were long detached from my memories. I guess i left them together with the horrible memories of BMT field camp in Pulau Tekong. However with "adequate supervision", we "made" it. [Alright everyone, let's clap for Eric Tan... *applause] wow...

The worst part of the Technical handling to me was the Assemblying/Stripping rifle segment. To be more exact, it was the reassembly of the rifle that was daunting to me. I was defeated by the bolt cam pin for like... 6 times? And i was just fumbling with the Bolt cam pin clumsily while the timer ticked past the crucial 45-seconds-threshold.

So there i was... trying to beat the minute hand of my officer's watch. While the tick of the minute hand was steady and unwavering, my actions were stiff and fraught with anxiety. In the end, i passed on the 6th trial. Sigh... What a failure. I should have paid more attention to the anatomy of my 2nd wife. [i left my first wife in Pulau Tekong...]

Did i mention that technical handling was bad? The dates of IMT and the actual range are worse. I'm shooting live rounds on Friday the 13th... Yes, best of luck Eric Tan!!