He passed!

I'm so happy for Mel and thankful this course is over. It's been a long three months. The life-sucking vortex of Master Gunner School is officially over today at 15:00 with graduation ceremonies. Mel will probably sleep for a couple of days (he is beyond sleep deprived) and then we'll celebrate and hopefully get back to normal family routines and activities. Did I mention that I'm thankful this course is over!?

For those of you who asked what this course entails, here is what he's trained to do.

The Bradley Master Gunner Course qualifies students as company/battalion Master Gunners. The course teaches the following subjects: turret operations, weapons system training, preliminary gunnery, target engagement, maintenance and troubleshooting of the turret weapons and fire control systems to include the M242 chain gun and 240C coaxial MG. Students also learn how to establish and operate ranges for Gunnery Tables I-XIII to include designing ranges, developing scenarios, forecasting ammunition requirements and integrating mounted/dismounted elements. The students will also design and implement a gunnery training program/strategy at company and battalion level. The course develops superior turret and main gun trouble shooting skills and also concentrates on analysis of range firing results and development of remedial programs to correct unit gunnery deficiencies. The course is highlighted by live fire through Table VIII.