What a day!!! (Non-Valk)

[Serk]

What a day!!! Went to Kali's battalion Thunder Horse 2-12 Cavalry Regiment's Family Day today with Tarynn and the kiddos, got to watch some M1 Abrams doing maneuvers, live fire exercises, crawl inside of one and look around... The triplets all got to ride around in one as well, then they fed us...

Afterwards I wandered back out to the tanks when her command team asked me if I wanna shoot a tank....

Um.... HELL YES!!!!!

So that happened... Got to hold and sign my shell, ride in the tank to the range, stand right behind it while another guy fired it (The concussion!!!) then fire it myself remotely... WOOOO!!!!! I still haven't come down! Few months ago laying in a hospital bed wondering when I'd get outta there to riding in and shooting a tank, what a ride!

[Chrisj CMA]

Great to see you out living again. Very cool!

[Avanti]

What did you shoot at and did you hit it?

[scooperhsd]

Shooting a tank shell +1  !!!!

[3fan4life]

 

[Serk]

What did you shoot at and did you hit it?

A silhouette of an enemy tank target 1000 meters downrange, or so I was told (I didn't get to aim it, just twist the lever that fires it once they told me everything was lined up) and I didn't think to ask if we hit the target until we were halfway home...

I'd like to think we did though!

[Valkorado]

This post made me smile.

Nice to see you're finally getting to play with something other than those little pea shooters!     Quite the honor there, but not as much as being Kali's dad!  Good job all around.   

[SCain]

Way cool 

[NewValker]

Good to see you out living life again!

Craig

[f6john]

We're you at Fort Hood? I trained there in the 70's, but not in an Abrams! The M-60 tanks I trained in, while deadly are cave man in comparison. Standing to the left of the breach to load the 105mm shells then making sure all your body parts are out of the way as it recoils past you when it fires and trying to maintain your balance as the hot casings start to fill up the only standing room available, fun times!

I wonder what job you would have had back then, as I'm not sure you would have been able to close the hatch, of course you would have been an infant!

[Hook#3287]

The picture of you riding the tank?

Nothing is bigger than your grin. 

Awesome 

[h13man]

You remind me of my favorite tank driver in the one pic:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.writeups.org%2Fsergeant-oddball-kellys-heroes-donald-sutherland%2F&psig=AOvVaw3H3aoS5PtXUMJ2uRndIs3X&ust=1705329147922000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCIie2-uM3YMDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

[carolinarider09]

Glad to see you out and about and enjoying life and some of the special things some of us got (or get) to do.   

Never been inside a tank.  Close as I have ever gotten is the inside of a sub. 

Again, glad to see you smiling and having some family fun as well.

[RNFWP]

Man, that looks like a lot of fun. 
Great pictures!

[Jess from VA]

That is the coolest thing I've seen all year.  

I'm jealous.  

BadaBOOM!!

A full size glossy picture in a frame would be on my wall.


EDIT: Some Chechen refugee driving one of our tanks.   

[michaelyoung254]

WOW, that's awesome!

Needless to say, I'm jealous.

[Rams]

We're you at Fort Hood? I trained there in the 70's, but not in an Abrams! The M-60 tanks I trained in, while deadly are cave man in comparison. Standing to the left of the breach to load the 105mm shells then making sure all your body parts are out of the way as it recoils past you when it fires and trying to maintain your balance as the hot casings start to fill up the only standing room available, fun times!

I wonder what job you would have had back then, as I'm not sure you would have been able to close the hatch, of course you would have been an infant!

Fort Hood is no more.   It's been renamed, Fort Cavazos.

The base was redesignated Fort Cavazos in honor of Gen. Richard Edward Cavazos, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars who was born in Texas to Mexican-American parents. In 1982, he became the first Hispanic to wear four stars on his uniform.

Don't have a thing against General Cavazos but, I didn't and still don't support the name changes.

Rams

[DIGGER]

Manoman....way cooool!!

[Oss]

Sweet !   Serks top 10 days

My brother and I are going up to Hudson Mass in August to drive a Sherman tank

We cant fire it though

But I hear there is a place is Texas near the border where you can fire live ammo from a Sherman

Maybe I will do that when I turn 70

[John Schmidt]

Serk, at 6'8" I'm surprised you fit inside.   As for the experience, sounds like fun. 

[cookiedough]

am sorta surprised the military lets civilians near govt. issued military eqmt. to be honest since not employed by the govt. 

similar scenario my older brother got to fly in a helicopter with his kid in the military shooting a 50 caliber rapid fire beyond belief.   Pretty neat experience either one for sure once in a lifetime experience. 

[Jack B]

Priceless, once a lifetime opportunity lucky you

[Robert]

Wow that is awesome, 

[JimmyG]

Serk, you mentioned, "the concussion,".   That you will never forget!  If you are on the tank,  and not inside, you learn to squat on your haunches and hold on to something. the rocking tank and the concussion are unbelievable.  I'm glad you got to experience that.