a shot in the dark
Sunday, May 12
I had my ATP shoot just earlier this week on Thursday. And boy was it quite an experience indeed! I mean, aside from the fact that I had it at a state of the art indoor firing range (one of the few things in The Service that I'm actually remarkably impressed by), and that it was the first time I've been assessed for firing live rounds in about 1 year and 2 months (i.e. since BTP in The Island), it was an exhilarating experience for much more than that.
Alright, so I'll cut to the chase. I had gotten 4/16, 5/8 and 4/12 for the three respective stages of the shoot, making a total of 13/36, a pretty damn abysmal score, not to mention a fail. I was pretty bummed too, especially because 3 of my shots in the last stage were totally on target - except that I hadn't been shooting my own target... And well hey, cut me some slack, this was only my second time in 10 months even holding a rifle! :P How good could my shooting be? I had totally forgotten what the full extent of the recoil felt like.
So since I was the last detail to shoot, I was pretty much immediately rushed off for a reshoot for the last stage. Initially assigned to lane 2 amidst the other reshooters, I was reassigned to lane 10 - the last one - at the very last minute. Apparently, back in the holding area, my PC had heard that I had shot the wrong target, and asked for me to be shifted so I could easily identify my own target. Awww, so kind of him (: Thank God for His favour!
And so with that change, I got the lane with the nice, young, friendly instructor, instead of the old, grumpy one I was initially supposed to have. He really was super helpful in calming me down, reassuring me, and giving me proper tips for the shoot.
---
"How much do you need to pass ah? Ten right?" he asks as I take up my position and stare at the illuminated target 100m away.
"Errrr......." Shack cannot think.
"Yea, ten lah," he confirms hastily - the conducting officer is already giving the orders to load and ready the rifle.
---
"Own time own target, carry on!"
And with that, the action begins.
BANG! ... BANG! ... BANG!
3 for 3, in foxhole supported position. So far so good.
---
"Firers, adopt prone unsupported position!"
Silhouette targets. Don't shoot the wrong target this time...
BANG! ... BANG! ... BANG! Damn, missed the second shot.
"What happened???"
"Heh, I kancheong ah, sir..."
"Haha okay nevermind, nevermind. Still can."
---
"Firers, adopt kneeling/squatting position!"
Ugh, stupid disgusting blinking targets. Hopefully I at least hit something. LAD ready; here goes nothing.
BANG! "Nice!"
BANG! "Good!"
BANG! "Well done!!!"
3 for 3 this time, and my instructor is clearly ecstatic. I smile quietly to myself (or as the people call it here - "am chio") as he lauds his praises on me.
---
"Firers, adopt standing shoulder position!"
Sigh, blinking targets again...
"Can you see the LAD?"
"No, sir, not really..."
"Okay, then try using the scope?"
"Okay."
BANG! Missed.
BANG! Crap, missed again!
"TRY THE LAD TRY THE LAD!"
Some fumbling to turn it on. Shit, I can barely make out the red dot of the LAD, let alone aim with it. I'm running out of time, but I can't even make out where I'm aiming.
Heck it. Just take a shot in the dark and hope for the best.
BANG!
The target goes down: Hit.
WOW, SERIOUSLY?!?!?!?!
---
"Firers, fall out."
"Aiya, you only got 9... wasted sia," my instructor laments.
We walk towards the end of the range in silence.
"Eh but sir, passing mark is 18 or 19?"
"18."
"But I got 4 for Stage A, 5 for Stage B and now 9 for Stage C, so total should be 18, which is a pass!"
"Oh, you sure ah? Like that, then YEA! That means you passed!"
---
And so that was exactly how things went down, conversation and all. I seriously had no idea that my last shot was the all-important one that would make the difference between a pass and fail for myself. I honestly don't even know how I managed to get that last shot on target, because, like I said, I couldn't even see where my LAD was pointing. It's really a miracle. So really, just thank God for how He worked His wonders and made the bullet hit the target!
What's more, right after I had finished my reshoot, I was soon whisked away, and found that the rest of my platoon had already cleared out of the holding area and were getting ready to move off to board the awaiting tonners. Had I not made that final shot, I might not have had another opportunity to pull my score out of a fail grade again.
Thank You, Jesus (:
AMEN;
12:37 am
