Blank looks
Seems a Ranger training battalion unit is in hot water. Over piracy?
Friday, May 16 a unit from the Ranger Training battalion, which conducts the swamp training phase of Ranger training, is alleged to have conducted some unauthorized mock battling..
Soldiers with the Army’s 6th Ranger Battalion assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, took part in a mock “sea battle” with a pirate ship on Friday evening as part of the Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival, said Devon Ravine, a spokesman for the city of Fort Walton Beach.
The pirate battle in Fort Walton Beach is an annual event that was announced earlier in the week, with public alerts that simulated gunfire might be heard during the event. Rangers from 6th Ranger Training Battalion on Eglin Air Force Base have participated in the event in past years, and Rangers were there again on Friday.
Riding in small boats, the Rangers fired blanks while maneuvering their boats to ‘capture’ Billy Bowlegs.
Good clean fun. Pirates, forces of good winning, Army looks manly, everyone wins. Except, five miles away, just earlier:
One witness at Crab Island told Task & Purpose that the group in uniforms began firing without issuing any sort of warning ahead of time. Michael Ingram, a charter boat captain, said that when the firing began, his clients and many other boaters took cover.
After the second burst, Ingram heard people screaming in the distance. He said his heart sank because he worried someone had been shot.
I suspect Mr. Ingram is not terribly knowledgeable about the difference in sound levels between blanks and real rounds maybe?
Though officials would not confirm that the group seen firing weapons at Crab Island was the Ranger team from the pirate battle, numerous pictures and videos on social media of the Destin event appear to match the group.
Videos posted from Crab Island on social media show men in military uniforms with Ranger tabs and “Follow me!”-shoulder patches of the Army’s infantry school, which oversees Ranger training units, matching pictures of the soldiers at the Fort Walton Beach event. The weapons and personal kit the men are carrying also appear to match those seen at Fort Walton Beach, as do the make and model of their boats.
Sounds like some NCOIC used poor judgement and will get his peepee swatted. “Boys will be boys” no longer applies.
The city of Fort Walton Beach issued a statement on Saturday advising anyone who wants to file a complaint over the Crab Island incident to contact the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Task and Purpose
Of course they are…
Hat tip to Jeff LPH for this one
This was originally written earlier in the week – interesting update:
Eighteen soldiers with the 6th Ranger Training Battalion have been temporarily suspended as instructors pending the outcome of an investigation into a May 16 incident in Florida, during which they allegedly fired blank rounds from their weapons at a public beach, said Jennifer S. Gunn, a spokeswoman for the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Currently, the Ranger instructors cannot train students going through the final stage of the U.S. Army Ranger Course at Camp Rudder, located on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Gunn told Task & Purpose on Thursday. Task and Purpose II
EIGHTEEN? Wow. Suspending an entire phase of Ranger training in effect – obviously the Army is taking this very seriously. Expect that pee-pee whacking to become plural to include some rank reductions and payday hurt, I think.
Category: "The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves", Ranger
“I suspect Mr. Ingram is not terribly knowledgeable about the difference in sound levels between blanks and real rounds maybe?”
I suspect Mr. beans would not bother discerning the
difference if someone were firing a weapon at him and would
return live fire until the music stopped.
Someone points a weapon at me and whether it goes “BANG, BANG” or “bang, bang” I am returning fire with the biggest “bang” I can.
One more recycle!
Anticipate: 1) an over-reaction to localized stupidity, 2) an attempt to cash-in by a civilian populace as they respond to the city advertising for grievances, and 3) Billy Bowlegs’ piracy will not be disrupted/stopped/interdicted by Rangers next year.
Note-depending on what weapons were firing, there is a substantial difference between the mild pop of 5.56mm blanks and the hammer and occasional highly photogenic muzzle blast from 7.62mm or .50 cal blanks. Depending on distance, level of lighting, etc., someone who doesn’t know what they are looking at might be confused by either of those.
All of the above. Even with “…with public alerts that simulated gunfire might be heard during the event. ” Hell, the snowflakes were warned. Not to say that there was some poor judgement on the part of The Rangers, but…Hey, they’re Rangers…They lead the way. Maybe they were trying to re-enact the Pointe de Hoc assault? After all…that fight happened on a beach. Did anyone hear a cry of “Away Boarders…once more into the breach, Lads!”? Were there any Pirate’s Lusty Wenches captured? Did Billy Bowlegs lose his Treasure Chest? Did the Rangers get into his supply of grog? I laffed way yonder too hard over this.
Compatriots of mine were very instrumental in the construction, manning, and interpreting at The National Civil War (sic) Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. For a number of years they would help put on/co-ordinate a “Pirate Battle” on The Chattahoochee River, firing all types of weapons with blanks, up to and including artillery. A great time was had by all…including spectators. A similar situation happened a few years back when some snowflakes got “skeered” with all of the gunfire and the City decided to not sponsor the event. A number of the volunteer participants were active duty troops from Fort Benning, with the full support of Higher. Now-a-days, and upcoming this June for the (GO) Army 250th Birthday, those same compatriots get an invitation to Fort Benning to give demonstrations of Artillery Pieces dating back to the Rev War. The Army provides a lot of the items for demo, provides pyro, cuts them a check for misc expenses, and the crews are invited to the evening Ball to hob nob with the Big Dawgs. Unfortunately, a prior commitment for a War Memorial Placement Ceremony will preclude me from attending this year’s festivities there.
Should be noted, what caused the grief was an unauthorized playtime 5 miles from the scheduled event.
Yeah, I keyed in on that, hence my comment on “…poor judgement…”. That being said, again not condoning this “poor judgement”, it was publicized that the event was going on and folks should be “Prepared” for shenanigans what with the reports of the “battle” echoing all up and down the beach. Most of the complaints in re the Columbus incident came from folks “down river”. A 32 pdr Naval Gun, with a full powder charge (no projectile) does make a very nice “Earth Shattering KA-BOOOM!”. A battery of them being touched off is even more betterer! Ask me how I know.
Like others here, iffen I am receiving fire, Imma gonna be returning fire, making sure that FIRST, I am in fact receiving fire, and making sure my return fire is hitting my target. Boollitts ain’t cheap these a days. And since we don’t know all the details, maybe the Ranger Group’s 2ndLt had flunked his Nav Course and didn’t realize his group was not at the target beach. Ooops Be interesting to see if we get a follow up to this
Side note in re The Columbus Museum. If any of y’all have a chance to get by there it is an excellent facility (tho not quite as good as it was a few years ago). A Compatriot, Brother-In-Arms, and very good friend was instrumental in building/interpreting that place. We paid full Honors to him back around the first of the month. He has been sorely missed.
Rest Easy, 1st Sgt Jerry “Ala-DAMN-Bama” Franklin. As good a man as ever tore a cartridge…and pulled a lanyard. I’ll see you again, My Brother…soon.
His soul is still there for he built it and poured his heart into it….Thank you!!!!
There’s no good way to spin this. It’s dumbassery that never should have happened. Especially when there’s video of a Soldier doing a beer bong beside a civilian boat. Nope. These guys are well and truly fooked.
It’s been a long, long, time since I thought guns were toys. Some people never learn.
It’s been done before.
https://youtu.be/bugK0Gsmtvw?si=g4bBWZaEQz6Tzf-v
Great movie! I watched it time and again at my Dad’s and should still have his VHS copy somewhere.
It’s a true example of the pussyfication of America as men and women collectively get the vapors at the sound of gunfire.
Us assholes over here on TAH would be running towards the sound.
We’ll show them Pirates a thing or two !!!
Ditto. I loathe civilian pussy crybabies. They should just be relieved it was blanks. Reminds me of the time we had the first and only Civil War reenactment in the local park. After the event, some old lady claimed the blank artillery fire caused her parakeet to die. So the city said no artillery at future reenactments. They also said no horses next time. The club said then no reenactment.
Oh for the day when Judge Sane responds:
“What the actual fuck? Grow a pair you chickenshit imbecile. Dismissed with prejudice. Ass-hattery.”
Ditto. I also note the City of Walton Beach publicized there would be a mock pirate battle on the water and issued alerts that there would be blank firing in the sea battle.
Now I should add that if these Ranger instructors just showed up with the guns, blanks and boats without any approvals from anyone in their chain of command, then they have a problem.
Ft. Walton Beach is a resort. I don’t know how that “battle” was publicized, but I doubt that many of the visitors bothered to keep up with the local news. Perhaps if the “Pirates” had dressed as actual pirates instead of wearing military uniforms and didn’t use modern automatic weapons there would have been less misunderstanding.
“It’s a true example of the pussyfication of America as men and women collectively get the vapors at the sound of gunfire.”
I am definitely a pussy then, since I get the vapors at the sound of gunfire, particularly if it’s unexpected, close by, and I am unarmed.
“Us assholes over here on TAH would be running towards the sound.”
Not this asshole. Been there, done that. If you want to, go right ahead.
There’s a Darwin award in it for you if you get there first.
These days most people worry about receiving pirated software from proud but humble women owned businesses sold from the trunk of an inert 1980’s vintage Jaguar.
I remember labor day back in the 80’s when the mountain warfare for the USMC near Bridgeport CA got lost and entered a civilian campsite looking for an insurgent leader they were supposed to “detain” and found someone who matched the description. The campsite was not in the play area, and they ended up gassing the whole crowd in the belief that it was part of the exercise.
Willing to bet someone got remedial map trading courses.
Lesson learned: NEVER let a 2LT do the Land Nav part!!!
Dumbasses!
I concur.
Who are the dumbasses?
Eh, I’ll wait for the official report to come out before I more precisely assign blame. But someone, somewhere, did dumbass up.
This is mass dumbassery.
Everyone from the commander who authorized this to the dumbasses in the boats.
Somebody is in some really deep kimchi!
I’m headed to Fort Walton Beach. Can’t wait to listen to the chatter on this from the locals. Sounds like I missed a pretty fun event.
Reminds me of the time a friend had his Shermans at mock battle on a Sunday. A local church heard the booms from the blanks, called 911 and evacuated. Never mind that there was a similar battle the day before. At least he didn’t fire the 155 that he has.