Bombing Brings Death Toll To 22

Good morning, I'm sure you've heard the news as far as the suicide bombing in Manchester. The numbers have now climbed to 22 as far as deaths go and of course the Islamic State has claimed responsibility.

ISIS stated that one of its members ignited the explosion as Ariana Grande's concert was ending which was about 10:33 p.m. local time therefore it was Monday.

British authorities identified the bomber as Salman Abedi, who is 23 years old. U.S. officials are not authorized to speak publicly as of yet.

Greater Manchester Police said children were among the victims, and that the attacker died at the scene.

Fifty-nine others were injured in the explosion, police said. They believed one man carried out the attack, however, authorities were trying to confirm whether he was working alone or as part of a network.

A 23-year-old man was arrested in South Manchester in connection with the attack, but no other details were immediately released.

Prime Minister Theresa May said authorities believe they know the attacker's identity, but did not name him. She will travel to Manchester to meet with police, the mayor and emergency services in the next few days.

"It is now beyond a doubt that the people of Manchester, and of this country, have fallen victim to a callous terrorist attack. An attack that targeted some of the youngest people in our society with cold calculation," May said outside her London office.

Chief Ian Hopkins, of Greater Manchester Police stated “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester, one that we all hoped we would never see." "We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity."

President Donald Trump added "I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that’s a great name. I will call them from now on losers, because that’s what they are. They’re losers, and we’ll have more of them, but they’re losers, remember that."

This very incident was the worst terrorist attack in Britain since the suicide bombings on London's transport in July 2005 which killed 52 people and injured hundreds. The attackers were inspired by Islamist extremism.

Monday's bombing follows a terror attack near the Houses of Parliament in central London, on March 22 that killed five people. The attacker, Khalid Masood, 52, rammed his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge before fatally stabbing a police officer.

Although this is not the first time Manchester, has suffered in this way, it is the worst attack the city has experienced, and the worst ever to hit the north of England.

Our thoughts be to those who were affected by such a heinous act.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

Familiarity W/ Carbines

Good day everyone, hope you all are well and enjoying the first few weeks of the new year. So today we'll spend some time getting familiarized with the M4 carbine, the four weapons conditions, weapon safety rules, and the types of ammunition for the M4.

A Marine/civilian must know the condition of his/her weapon at all times. When taking charge of a weapon in any situation, you must determine its condition. A weapon’s readiness is described by one of four conditions.

Condition Four: Magazine inserted, bolt forward, no round in chamber, ejection port cover closed, weapon on safe.

Condition Three: Magazine inserted, bolt forward, no round in chamber, ejection port cover closed, weapon on safe.

Condition Two: Not applicable for the M16/M4 does not apply.

Condition One: Magazine inserted, round in the chamber, bolt forward, ejection port cover closed, weapon on safe.

SAFETY RULES: The following rules apply to all weapon systems at all times without exception.

SAFETY RULE 1 Treat every weapon as if it were loaded...

Don't trust your memory or make any assumptions about a weapon's safety status. Always confirm condition of your weapon. Never hand a weapon to anyone without clearing it. Clearing is a procedure for ensuring there is no ammunition in the weapon. Never move in front of a weapon held by someone else. Never engage in or tolerate horseplay with or around weapons.

SAFETY RULE 2 Never point a weapon at anything you do not intend to shoot...

Always be aware of muzzle direction and your surroundings. This ensures you will not unintentionally point your weapon at anything other than an intended target. If you do not know what is beyond your vision in any unprotected direction, do not point your weapon in that direction. Never allow the muzzle of your weapon to point at any part of your body.

SAFETY RULE 3 Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready to fire...

Never be guilty of a negligent discharge. A common reaction to a sudden shock or loss of balance while handling a weapon is an unintentional tightening of the grip. If your finger is off the trigger, you will eliminate the potential for firing accidentally.

SAFETY RULE 4 Keep the weapon on safe until you intend to fire...

The SAFE position on the selector lever is a built-in feature that has only one function. That function is to prevent inadvertent firing of the rifle. When patrolling or walking it is possible for the trigger to be unintentionally depressed by objects (e.g., branches, wire, gear) encountered en route. Keeping the weapon on safe ensures the weapon will not fire if the trigger is accidentally engaged.

Ammunition:

M193 Ball: This ammunition is a 5.56mm center fire cartridge with a 55-grain gilded metal jacket, lead alloy core bullet. The primer and case are waterproofed. The M193 ball ammunition has no identifying marks.

M855 Ball: This ammunition is the primary ammunition for the M16A2 rifle. Identified with green tips, its 5.56mm center fire cartridge has better penetration than the M193. It has a 62- grain gilded-metal jacket bullet. The rear two-thirds of the core of the projectile is lead alloy and the front one-third is a solid steel penetrator. The primer and case are waterproofed.

M196 and M856 Tracer: This ammunition has the same basic characteristics as ball ammunition. Identified by a bright red tip, its primary uses include observation firing, incendiary effect, and signaling. Tracer ammunition should be intermixed with ball ammunition in a ratio no greater than 1:1. The preferred ratio is one tracer to four balls (1:4) to prevent metal fouling in the bore.

M199 Dummy: This ammunition has six grooves along the side of the case. It contains no propellants or primer. The primer well is open to prevent damage to the firing pin. The dummy cartridge is used during dry fire and other training purposes.

M-4 Carbine Specs

Caliber: 5.56

Weight (W/ 26 rnd mag) 6.9 lbs

Length: 29.75' w/ butt-stock closed 33' w/ butt-stock open

Cyclic Rate: 800 rounds per minute

Semiautomatic: 45 RPM

Burst: 90 RPM

Sustained Rate Of Fire: 12-15 RPM

Individual Targets: 500 meters

Area Targets: 600 meters

Maximum Targets: 3600 meters

I hope this helped familiarize you guys a bit, always remember to abide by these safety rules and weapon conditions.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill

New Year, New Rules, PFT-CFT

Good day all, so the United States Marine Corps has updated the physical and combat fitness tests.

Beginning January 1, Marines will be able to take the Physical Fitness Test and Combat Fitness Test more than once to improve their scores, if not happy with previous scores. 

Marine Commandant Gen. Robert Neller is also allowing older Marines in their upper 40’s to row five kilometers on a rowing machine. Rather than running for the Physical Fitness Test.

The Marine Corps has made great effort to revamp both the PFT and CFT. Starting on Jan. 1, the tests will have updates and implementations. 

One of the biggest and most noticeable changes coming to the PFT in 2017 is the elimination of pull-ups. Male and female Marines as well as poolees and officer candidates can opt to do pushups rather than pull-ups.

Marines will now have to declare if they will do pushups or pull-ups before taking the test. They wont be allowed to switch from one exercise to the other while taking the test.

Here is the catch… Marines can only score a maximum score of 70 out of 100 possible points if they only do pushups for the upper-body portion of PFT. In order to score a full 100 points, Marines will have to do pull-ups.

The Corps is also re-hashing its weight charts for women in order to reflect that women put on muscle as they train. Female Marines will be allowed to be 5 to 7 pounds heavier, while women in other heights will be able to be 9 pounds heavier.

In 2017, Marines will need to get 235 points on both the PFT and CFT in order to get a first-class score on both tests. Prior to the changes the max score was varied by age.

  
Marines who score a 285 on both the PFT and CFT will be exempt from weight limits. If Marines score 250 points or higher on both tests, they will be afforded an additional 1 percent of body fat.

All Marines will have to increase the number crunches  in order to get a perfect score on

their PFT. Male Marines in the ages of 26 and 35 years old will have to do 115 crunches which is an increase of 15. Females Marines between the ages of 26 and 30 years will have to do 110 crunches, which is an increase of 10.

Men and women will also have to lift the 30-pound ammunition can more times as part of the CFT. Men 25 years old and younger will have to do 67 ammo-can lifts to pass and between 106 and 120 lifts for a max score, up from 45 times and 91 times.

Women who currently need to do at least 20 ammo-can lifts to pass will have to do at least 30 lifts next year. Getting a perfect score will require between 66 and 75 lifts depending on age.

Well cheers to revamping, lets see if those scores increase or not around the corps.

Isaac J. Hall II

#SemperKill