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Washington Post
September 5, 2006
Pg. 17
To Reduce Accidents, Army Forges Closer Bond Between Soldiers, Rifles
By Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press
PETERSBURG, Va. -- In the early months of the war in Iraq, Army Spec. Paul J. Sturino was getting ready for guard duty one morning when another soldier accidentally fired a bullet into his neck.
"Somehow it went off," his mother, Christine Wetzel, said as she recounted the official reports documenting her 21-year-old son's death on Sept. 22, 2003.
The Army has begun taking steps to reduce accidental discharges through a new weapons immersion program fully implemented this year throughout the Army's 16 training facilities.
Sturino, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky., was one of 21 soldiers killed by accidental discharges in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, according to the Army's Combat Readiness Center. Eighty-nine others were injured.
"Losing one U.S. soldier because of a negligent discharge or not handling the weapon right is one too many," said Col. Paul Fortune, commander of the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade at Fort Lee, near Petersburg.
Under the new program, "we put the weapon in the hands of the soldier as soon as possible to give them an opportunity to be familiar with how the weapon operates," Fortune said.
Soldiers receive their M-16 rifles -- and blank ammunition -- on the third day of training and keep it with them for the next six to 12 weeks, depending on the length of training. The only time they do not have their weapons is when they enter chapels or clinics, or when the rifles are checked in for the weekend.
It's part of the "train as you fight" mentality that the Army hopes will keep soldiers safe.
Soldiers such as Pvt. Kenneth Dykeman, 21, of Portland, Ore., carry their rifle to class and physical training and even have it nearby as they sleep. At night, Dykeman keeps his weapon under his mattress, with its magazine in his locker. "It helps you get closer to your weapon, know the characteristics, know what your rifle can do, so when you're out there in the field, you know how to keep yourself safe," Dykeman said.
The program is significantly reducing negligent discharges, said Col. Kevin A. Shwedo, director of operations, plans and training for the Army Accessions Command. The average company used to experience about five negligent discharges every four hours. Now, Shwedo said, "if you hear a single discharge, that's a lot."
Even in the training environment, soldiers are required to keep a round of ammunition in their chambers and clear their weapons before entering any building. Metal barrels filled with sand rest slanted on sandbags outside every building for soldiers to clear their weapons.
"We want to teach them that there is no such thing as the front line," Fortune said before checking weapons at random in the cafeteria.
Before, the only time soldiers at Fort Lee would see their weapons was when they practiced shooting. Commanders say the change also reflects the need for soldiers to be ready to engage in the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It took the Army until early 2005 to "come up with enough horsepower" to implement the program, Shwedo said. Officials ran into roadblocks, including finding enough weapons, ammunition and supplies, as well as Cold War-era regulations against putting weapons on training bases, he said.
The program is part of the Army's new initiative to make training more relevant and apply lessons learned from troops coming back from deployment.
September 5, 2006
Pg. 17
To Reduce Accidents, Army Forges Closer Bond Between Soldiers, Rifles
By Michael Felberbaum, Associated Press
PETERSBURG, Va. -- In the early months of the war in Iraq, Army Spec. Paul J. Sturino was getting ready for guard duty one morning when another soldier accidentally fired a bullet into his neck.
"Somehow it went off," his mother, Christine Wetzel, said as she recounted the official reports documenting her 21-year-old son's death on Sept. 22, 2003.
The Army has begun taking steps to reduce accidental discharges through a new weapons immersion program fully implemented this year throughout the Army's 16 training facilities.
Sturino, assigned to the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky., was one of 21 soldiers killed by accidental discharges in the combat zones of Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, according to the Army's Combat Readiness Center. Eighty-nine others were injured.
"Losing one U.S. soldier because of a negligent discharge or not handling the weapon right is one too many," said Col. Paul Fortune, commander of the 23rd Quartermaster Brigade at Fort Lee, near Petersburg.
Under the new program, "we put the weapon in the hands of the soldier as soon as possible to give them an opportunity to be familiar with how the weapon operates," Fortune said.
Soldiers receive their M-16 rifles -- and blank ammunition -- on the third day of training and keep it with them for the next six to 12 weeks, depending on the length of training. The only time they do not have their weapons is when they enter chapels or clinics, or when the rifles are checked in for the weekend.
It's part of the "train as you fight" mentality that the Army hopes will keep soldiers safe.
Soldiers such as Pvt. Kenneth Dykeman, 21, of Portland, Ore., carry their rifle to class and physical training and even have it nearby as they sleep. At night, Dykeman keeps his weapon under his mattress, with its magazine in his locker. "It helps you get closer to your weapon, know the characteristics, know what your rifle can do, so when you're out there in the field, you know how to keep yourself safe," Dykeman said.
The program is significantly reducing negligent discharges, said Col. Kevin A. Shwedo, director of operations, plans and training for the Army Accessions Command. The average company used to experience about five negligent discharges every four hours. Now, Shwedo said, "if you hear a single discharge, that's a lot."
Even in the training environment, soldiers are required to keep a round of ammunition in their chambers and clear their weapons before entering any building. Metal barrels filled with sand rest slanted on sandbags outside every building for soldiers to clear their weapons.
"We want to teach them that there is no such thing as the front line," Fortune said before checking weapons at random in the cafeteria.
Before, the only time soldiers at Fort Lee would see their weapons was when they practiced shooting. Commanders say the change also reflects the need for soldiers to be ready to engage in the military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It took the Army until early 2005 to "come up with enough horsepower" to implement the program, Shwedo said. Officials ran into roadblocks, including finding enough weapons, ammunition and supplies, as well as Cold War-era regulations against putting weapons on training bases, he said.
The program is part of the Army's new initiative to make training more relevant and apply lessons learned from troops coming back from deployment.
