Day 44: Shaving Cream?

We are busily preparing to go to the rifle range tomorrow to qualify for the weapons we have been issued and will be using while in Afghanistan. We have 2 main weapons that we have been issued--an M9 and M4. The pictures below show examples of what they look like.

The M4

The M9

In preparation for the qualification, we went today to a computerized simulation range. Basically, it was like playing a giant video game. We shot fake rounds onto a large screen and the computer told us if we hit the target or not. It was fun but I definately need some more practice. Tomorrow I will tell you a little more about my previous shooting experiences and my lack of skill with a weapon.

One thing that makes this weapon qualification more difficult than any I have done before, is that we have to wear our full body armor while we shoot. We shoot from several positions including the prone position (on our bellies). It is hard enough to turn your head or even move with this stuff on, let alone position yourself to accurately shoot at moving targets. One thing that complicated things even more today was that our eye protection that we are required to wear fogs up. Today it fogged while we were in a comfortable, air conditioned room. It will only be worse tomorrow while we are shooting in 100 degree weather at the range. So what is the solution for fogged glasses? Would you believe shaving cream. That's right. Apparently, this works to keep your mirror from fogging up when you shower and similarly stops your glasses from fogging up. So I spent a few minutes wiping down my glasses with shaving cream and then buffing it off. Will it work? Probably not. Of course, having my glasses fog up will provide me a good excuse for why I didn't qualify. So maybe we will hope the shaving cream doesn't work after all.