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My Journey to Tactical Awareness and Back Again-Part I by Gumshoe4 “Do NOT turn around with that gun in your hand”, yelled the Chief Gunner’s Mate directly into my earmuff-covered ear. A fired .45 ACP case hung in the ejection port of the old, rattley 1911 pistol I was holding in my right hand and the slide was out of battery. I had no idea what to do. The Chief took the gun out of my hand (none too gently) and cycled the slide, dumping the empty case out and feeding a new round into the chamber. The Chief activated the thumb safety and handed the piece back to me, saying, “Don’t limp wrist that piece-hold it like you mean it.” I raised the pistol in my right hand and placed my left hand under the butt of the gun, “teacup and saucer” style as I had been taught, then successfully fired off the remaining four rounds without further mishap. After the Chief cleared the line, we all went down to see how we did on the big bullseye targets. With the 50 rounds I had been given, I hit the paper 35 times and 25 of the rounds actually hit the black. The Chief stood behind me and shook his head. He said, “Sorry, Mr. Friedman-you didn’t qualify. Good thing you’re not in the Marines.” So went my first introduction to shooting a handgun. Unlike many others, I grew up in a California suburb in a liberal family and had never fired a handgun in my life. In fact, my cousin Randy and I were the only members of our generation in the family to go into the military. Randy went in so that the Army would help pay for his medical school. My wife and I went into the Navy after college because we wanted to serve our country and because we weren’t doing anything else particularly productive at the time. The event described more or less accurately above happened at the Naval Reserve Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island in 1978 and was the first time I had fired a handgun. Until that point, the idea that the Navy might require me to take another person’s life was an abstract issue sort of like knowing that the U.S. had nuclear weapons-nice to have, good deterrent, but don’t ask me to hit the button. Now, I could no longer escape the fact that I might be required to use deadly force some day in defense of the nation. After the qualification at the pistol range, I gave it a lot of thought and I realized that while the idea of taking a life was repugnant in a general sense, I could certainly do so to defend my country against its enemies and to protect the military folks I served with. However, although my performance with the 1911 was poor, I really did not give any more thought to getting better with the gun and didn’t bother to make another attempt to qualify. At the time, I figured that someone else who was competent with the 1911 or other small arms would be the person who would exercise that option. In 1978, I reported aboard USS TRIPOLI (LPH-10) as a newly-commissioned ensign. In learning my new job and the many collateral duties I was assigned, including all aspects of the vessel I served on, the issue of handguns and defensive tactics did not come up as a significant issue. As the OOD inport, my petty officer of the watch was armed with a 1911 carried in Condition 3. Inport security details were armed with 870s loaded with buckshot-the guns were issued from the radio room to members of the watch detail. I was not armed and I paid virtually no attention to that fact and the related tactical issues generated by it. While enroute to the Western Pacific, somewhere between Hawaii and Okinawa, our ship’s combat cargo officer, a Marine captain named Heitkemper, decided that all the enlisted and officer squids who stood duty in port needed to have a familiarization fire with the 1911 pistol. CAPT Heitkemper stood some wooden targets on outboard edge of the No. 2 Aircraft Elevator, then lined up a group of sailors on the inboard side of the elevator. Here’s how my turn with the .45 pistol went (at least, how I recall it): CAPT Heitkemper: “All right listen up. I know you sailors don’t know
which Squids: (silence) CAPT Heitkemper: “I didn’t think so. Several rules to discuss…the first is that I am in charge here and you will immediately obey me in all respects. If you do not, you will be thrown unceremoniously out of here. Is that clear?” Squids: (silence) CAPT Heitkemper: “I said, is that clear?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Good. You will approach the firing line in groups of five. You will not go onto the firing line until I say so. After you are on the firing line, SGT Smith here will issue each shooter a .45 pistol. Each pistol’s slide will be locked back and there will be no magazine in place. You will receive your pistol in your right or left hand, as appropriate for your handedness, and you will point it downrange toward the targets at the edge of the elevator with the barrel depressed downward at approximately a 45 degree angle. You will NOT release the slide, put your finger on the trigger or do anything else until I tell you, but you WILL continue to point the piece downrange at ALL times as I have described. That was a lot I just gave you sailors. Do you understand so far?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “SGT Smith will then hand each shooter a magazine loaded with five rounds. You will accept your magazine from SGT Smith with whichever hand you are NOT using to hold the pistol while you continue to point the firearm downrange. Clear?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Upon my command, and ONLY UPON MY COMMAND….what did I say?” Squids: “Upon your command, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “That’s right. Very good, sailors. You’re listening. Upon my command, you will slide the loaded magazine into the butt of the .45 pistol. Then, upon my command, you will activate the slide release of the weapon to release the slide, chamber a round and activate the thumb safety. Clear?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “You-Petty Officer Wishenkowski-when I give the command, do you activate the safety before releasing the slide or afterwards?” PO2 Wishenkowski: “I don’t know, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Petty Officer Wishenkowski-you’re NOT listening. You CANNOT activate the safety on this weapon UNTIL you release the slide. Do you understand?” PO2 Wishenkowski: “Uh-I guess so, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “OK, time for visual demonstration. Here is a 1911 .45 pistol. You can all see that the slide is locked back and there is no magazine in place-correct?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Now pay attention, sailors. Look here. Here is the thumb safety for this weapon. See this-I can’t push it up and activate it. Why not?” PO3 French: “Because the slide is locked back and prevents the safety from moving up.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Very good, Petty Officer French. I’m noticing that the junior Naval officers present-like Mr. Friedman over there-are not too quick with the answers. Right now, you’re scoring better than them. So, to review-you’ll receive a loaded magazine. Upon MY command, you will place the magazine in the butt of the piece. Upon MY command, you will then activate the slide release, release the slide-thereby chambering a round-and will activate the thumb safety on the weapon. Any questions so far?” Squids: “No, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Very well. I will then give the standard range commands. They go like this. READY ON THE RIGHT. READY ON THE LEFT. READY ON THE FIRING LINE. COMMENCE FIRING. Upon hearing the command, COMMENCE FIRING, you will raise the pistol, align the sights on your target at the edge of the elevator, push down the thumb safety and fire all five rounds in the magazine at the target until the piece is empty and the slide locks back or until you hear me say CEASE FIRE. Do you understand?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Seaman Francis, what will be the command to fire?” SN Francis: “Go ahead and shoot, or something like that, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “No, Seaman Francis-I can see that you’re fast asleep with your eyes wide open. The command to fire is COMMENCE FIRING. Mr. Friedman, when I give the command READY ON THE RIGHT, is it appropriate to begin firing your weapon?” ENS Friedman: “No, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Correct, and very succinctly stated, Mr. Friedman. Good thing I didn’t ask you a hard question.” We then lined up on the firing line and I was handed a 1911 which looked like it had been cleaned with boric acid and steel wool. The wind blowing over the gun caused it to rattle and quiver-no, it was not me doing it. The good sergeant handed me my loaded magazine and the drill then went like this: CAPT Heitkemper: “SHOOTERS, PLACE YOUR LOADED MAGAZINE IN THE WEAPON.” Squids: (Click, click, smack, smack) CAPT Heitkemper: “SHOOTERS, CHAMBER A ROUND IN YOUR Squids: (Slam, slam, slam, snick, snick) CAPT Heitkemper: “READY ON THE RIGHT.” Unidentified Squid: BLAM!!! Tinkle, tinkle…. CAPT Heitkemper: “CEASE FIRE!!!!!!!! NOBODY MOVE!!!! SGT Smith, go remove that weapon from that sailor and throw him off my firing line.” SGT Smith: “Aye, aye, sir. Give me that-DON’T TURN AROUND-I’LL TAKE IT FROM YOU!!” (sounds of magazine being removed and slide being locked back) CAPT Heitkemper: “Everybody keep VERY STILL. To remind you yet once again, you do NOT aim or fire the piece UNTIL I issue the command COMMENCE FIRING. Does everyone understand?” Squids: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Fine. Each shooter should now have a pistol with a loaded magazine in place, a round in the chamber and the thumb safety activated. Is anyone else having difficulty so far?” Squids: (Silence) CAPT Heitkemper: “OK. I’m resuming the commands now. READY ON THE RIGHT. READY ON THE LEFT. READY ON THE FIRING LINE. COMMENCE FIRING!!!!” I pulled the trigger. Nothing happened and I couldn’t figure out why. Meanwhile, the other sailors were blasting merrily away until their slides were locked back and silence once again reigned. Everyone, that is, except me. All the other sailors stared at me and CAPT Heitkemper while we had this exchange: CAPT Heitkemper: “Mr. Friedman, I see that your weapon’s slide is not locked back and I am therefore assuming that you have not fired your rounds off as yet. Is that correct?” ENS Friedman: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Would it be ignorant of me to ask why you did not fire off your rounds as commanded?” ENS Friedman: “Well, sir-I tried, but it didn’t work.” CAPT Heitkemper: “What do you mean-it didn’t work?” ENS Friedman: “I pulled the trigger and nothing happened.” CAPT Heitkemper: “SGT Smith, go inspect Ensign Friedman’s weapon.” SGT Smith: “Aye, aye, sir. Here’s the problem, Mr. Friedman-you forgot to take off the safety.” ENS Friedman: “Oh.” CAPT Heitkemper: “OK. Mr. Friedman, are you now clear on the concept about how to take off the safety of this particular weapon?” ENS Friedman: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Very well. All other hands on the firing line-stand fast while Ensign Friedman gets a special opportunity to shoot all by himself. Mr. Friedman, are you ready?” ENS Friedman: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “You’re thinking about that safety, right?” ENS Friedman: “Yes, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “And you’re not going to fire until I give the proper command, right?” ENS Friedman: “No, sir.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Here we go. READY ON THE RIGHT. READY ON THE LEFT. READY ON THE FIRING LINE. COMMENCE FIRING!!” I snicked off the thumb safety and started to fire. BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM!!! The slide locked back. Not one hole shown through my target, but there was a big gouge out of the wooden target frame near the top which one of my rounds clearly created. CAPT Heitkemper: “Nice grouping, Mr. Friedman.” Squids and SGT Smith: “Har, har, yuk, yuk.” CAPT Heitkemper: “Those of you who stand Petty Officer of the Watch with Ensign Friedman-do not give your sidearm to him for any reason. NEXT GROUP!!!” So began my journey to tactical awareness. |
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