09 April 2008

Baby Steps

Well... you gotta start somewhere...
What's different about this scene is that the men are showing a discipline lacking even a year ago. And they're all wielding the C7 rifle, a variant of the American M16, donated by Canada and finally making its way to the battlefield here.

Some of the testing has been nerve-racking for the Afghans, in part because they are being watched not only by their own non-commissioned officer but also by an interpreter and a Canadian adviser.
As anyone who is familiar with firearms can tell you... the last thing you wanna brush up against on the firing line, are sloppy... or even scarier... nervous trigger-pullers. Somebody screws up on the range and you can have an irreversible outcome.
"There was one guy who didn't practise. All the other guys were practising, but he was nervous and instead he prayed all afternoon. He didn't do so well," MCpl. Woods said.

"The [Afghan] sergeant took him outside, they practised and he passed."
A tough job... but somebody's gotta do it.

Go Canada.

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RELATED: Reach out and touch somebody
The Canadian made C7 rifle
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