.JPG)
Over the last few days, we got to play with some pretty cool toys. Late last week, CPT Creel (our CRNA), CPT Roelse (one of our nurses & the FST commander), and myself had the privilege of driving the Polish
Rosomak (which means
wolverine in Polish). This thing is a beast! It is an 8 X 8, armored, multi-role military vehicle. There are several different versions (infantry fighting vehicle, armored personnel carrier), and the one we got to drive
.JPG)
is used for medevac purposes. I'm told the thing can go a bit over 60 MPH, which is quite impressive given its size. It was actually very easy to drive; not all that different from your vehicle at home. It has an automatic transmission and steers with a wheel. You can drive with your head sticking out of the top (which is easier) or seated down in the cockpit. If seated lower, there is a small "window" that you can look through or you can view the terrain through a video monitor. It can carry several patients plus a crew of 4 (driver, commander, nurse, and medic) and is quite nice on the inside. We each had a chance to zip around the FOB with it, which was a lot of fun.
.JPG)
On Sunday, 7 of us went to the range to shoot weapons. In addition to the 9mm Beretta (which is what I carry), we had the chance to shoot the M-16 and AK-47 rifles. That was a BLAST!! I'm not sure how much ammunition we blew through, but it was a lot. We were invited by the Afghan National Police (ANP) instructors, which is how we were able to shoot the AK-47
.JPG)
. It's a very nice weapon, but I must admit that I was surprised by the amount of recoil. It was also the first time I ever shot a rifle with all of the "battle rattle" on. It is very challenging to seat the stock of the weapon securely against your shoulder while wearing that stuff. I have a new appreciation for the soldiers who do it every day. We "killed" a lot of targets that day, and just to make things more interesting, we tossed in a few smoke grenades. I hope to get to the range another time or 2 before I come home. There are a couple Navy Seals here who offered to let us play with some better toys, so I hope to hook up with them some day. They want to do some chest tubes, so I'm thinking we can work out a trade!!
.jpg)
.JPG)
Over the last few days, we got to play with some pretty cool toys. Late last week, CPT Creel (our CRNA), CPT Roelse (one of our nurses & the FST commander), and myself had the privilege of driving the Polish Rosomak (which means wolverine in Polish). This thing is a beast! It is an 8 X 8, armored, multi-role military vehicle. There are several different versions (infantry fighting vehicle, armored personnel carrier), and the one we got to drive .JPG)
is used for medevac purposes. I'm told the thing can go a bit over 60 MPH, which is quite impressive given its size. It was actually very easy to drive; not all that different from your vehicle at home. It has an automatic transmission and steers with a wheel. You can drive with your head sticking out of the top (which is easier) or seated down in the cockpit. If seated lower, there is a small "window" that you can look through or you can view the terrain through a video monitor. It can carry several patients plus a crew of 4 (driver, commander, nurse, and medic) and is quite nice on the inside. We each had a chance to zip around the FOB with it, which was a lot of fun..JPG)
On Sunday, 7 of us went to the range to shoot weapons. In addition to the 9mm Beretta (which is what I carry), we had the chance to shoot the M-16 and AK-47 rifles. That was a BLAST!! I'm not sure how much ammunition we blew through, but it was a lot. We were invited by the Afghan National Police (ANP) instructors, which is how we were able to shoot the AK-47.JPG)
. It's a very nice weapon, but I must admit that I was surprised by the amount of recoil. It was also the first time I ever shot a rifle with all of the "battle rattle" on. It is very challenging to seat the stock of the weapon securely against your shoulder while wearing that stuff. I have a new appreciation for the soldiers who do it every day. We "killed" a lot of targets that day, and just to make things more interesting, we tossed in a few smoke grenades. I hope to get to the range another time or 2 before I come home. There are a couple Navy Seals here who offered to let us play with some better toys, so I hope to hook up with them some day. They want to do some chest tubes, so I'm thinking we can work out a trade!!
No comments:
Post a Comment