civilian range: it's the second day of the NRA personal protection course and we've got the students out on the range - for significant number of them it is the first time they have ever fired on a range, and for some of them it's the first time they've actually fired a handgun. one of the females a few stations to my left, firing a .38 spl revolver hits dead center 10X with her first shot, and while holding the modified weaver stance pivots 145 degrees before her instructor gets the barrel of the weapon up in the air, while student is shouting "I hit it! I hit it!".
military range: I'm supervising a bunch of ROTC cadets who are firing M16's (in semi) on a 100 meter range that is also used for LAW subcaliber training. I'm an LT at this time, and technically in charge of the range, but the range NCO's know I'm a former SGT and since I'm only there for a day I let them do the training with the understanding that I'll stand there and be 'the officer' whenever neccessary. (this means I know they know their business and I'm doing my best to stay out of their way and let them do *their* best). All instructors are supposed to be wearing frag vests but it's hot so I just put one on, since we've been warned there's a major in the AO who may stop by, and it's my job (as the ossifer) to pacify him when he shows up. That's the ONLY reason I'm wearing the vest. Off to one side of the range is the old (1960's) command track with three inches of battleship plate bolted to one side, that is used as the target for the LAW subcaliber devices (basically a small rocket that fits inside the LAW launcher and makes a big "poof" of white smoke when it hits a hard target). We have given the kaydets strict instructions that they WILL not fire at the command track since it's only 100 meters away and 5.56mm ball ammo WILL ricochet at that range. Second or third firing order is firing, I've checked the other concurrent training ongoing and am walking up to the firing line to do my "once down the firing line so the LT can legitimately say he's supervising marksmanship training". I'm walking next to the range NCOIC and we're discussing various points I should make to that major we're expecting to show up any minute. As we're doing this I hear that distinctive 'whirrrrr' of a round going by a bit to my left, the NCOIC and I look at each other just as we hear another 'whirrrrump' that impacts just below my left pectoral muscle. I look down and there's a flattened 5.56 ball round embedded in my flak vest. The range NCOIC and two of the instructors are all looking at one 18 or 19 year old cadet who seems slightly puzzled and appears to be aiming a third shot at the
command track. What's going through my mind at that point is a debate - either I'm dead and don't know it yet, or it didn't penetrate the vest for some reason but in any case I'm slowly coming around to the perspective that I'd really like to prevent a repeat performance in any case, when one of the range instructors lands in the middle of the kaydet's back while the other one wrenches the M16 from his hot little hands, and the Range NCOIC is shouting "cease fire, cease fire!". I look down and discover no blood but some hot lead and jacketting, and am so glad that's all, that I tell the NCOIC "SFC ____ carry on with training" and wander back to the range shack where I can sit down and shake for a couple of minutes unobserved. The major showed up half an hour later and dinged me for having a vest in need of repair. He never did figure out why I just acknowledged it and let it go...
that's not actually the worst one, but the worst one sounds like a "war story" so I don't generally tell that one at all.
I apoligize for anyone who had to endure this. Atticus, my mom DOES let me stay up late 
