Rifle Practice
30" x 24"
Oil on Canvas
Fort Ord, California –
September, 1966
3rd Platoon, HQ Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade
Staff Sergeant Anselmo Tahud, Drill Instructor – Sacramento, California
Private James
McClellan, Basic Trainee – Ridgecrest, California
On a rifle range near the sea
on a foggy fall morning in 1966,
Private James McClellan fired his rifle
for the
approval of his instructor,
Sergeant Tahud,
in an effort to exceed all his past performances.
This scene records an
experience remembered
by every soldier who has gone through basic combat
training.
The rifle is a basic weapon.
Actual taking and holding of ground in military campaigns is accomplished by
foot soldiers caring rifles.
In the sixth decade of the twentieth century,
with sophisticated weaponry and
highly developed support, this is still a fact.
An important part of any army, therefore, is the infantry conditioned to
marching
and skilled in the use of small weapons.
Beginning in the first week of
basic training, a soldier becomes acquainted with his rifle.
For the rest of
his infantry life it will be
his close companion.
He will learn how to take it apart,
clean and repair it,
reassemble it, how to
hold it, and how to
shoot it with speed and accuracy
from various positions.
Since a soldier in combat
cannot depend on targets being clear and stationary
at a given distance,
a new
exercise
has been developed
for firing
concurrent
with detection. On the Trainfire Range, targets pop out of the bushes
or other natural
concealment at varying distances.
The soldier must identify the target, judge
distance and windage,
use his battle sight, and attempt to score a hit.
In the first eight weeks of
basic training soldiers qualify for badges they wear proudly
on their uniforms
proclaiming them
Marksman, Sharpshooter, or Expert.
