Repetitive Training Pays Off

Repetitive Training Pays Off

Here's a valuable teaching moment I went through in my early twenties. If I ever needed an example that would underscore the value of training-repeatedly, so much that the action or behavior becomes unconsciously second-nature and completely ingrained, this was it.

This is a story about a Negative Discharge (ND). ND is the term used by firearms instructors and enthusiasts to describe firing a round accidentally, i.e., without intending to. This is a true story. I experienced it myself. I hope it may shed some light about other, perhaps less obvious, factors that will lead even the very experienced and highly-trained among us to err.

I was Sgt. Goodell, a small arms marksmanship instructor in the USAF. To those who see the USAF as a bunch of fly-boys and noncombatants, that job may seem small-time when compared to my brothers in the Marine Corps or the Army. However, this particular unit of mine was an elite, small, corps of disciplined, professional and proud instructors, all graduates of the USAF Marksmanship Academy. We had distinct uniforms including the Smokey-Bear hats with yellow, enlisted braid, flight-jackets with “Range Officer” emblazoned on them and starched and bloused trousers over shiny, toe-capped Corcorans. We were training airmen from 8th AF who were en route to Vietnam and we took the responsibility very seriously.

My firearms background, beginning in my early teens, was as a pistol competitor. God gave me a gift of being an innate pistolero. I was simply a "natural." I began my shooting experience with an old Colt, Single Action Army in .38 special caliber at 13 years of age. I was taught by a former U.S. Cavalry Officer. Harry Easton had been a brevet Major in the 7th Cavalry back when they were still a’horseback. He started me right. “Rik,” he’d tell me over and over again, “Muzzle awareness is key to safety. Know where it is pointed at all times and don’t point it at anything you don’t intend to shoot!” Yes Sir!

My competitor’s training, which is so different from that of combat training, has actually been an impediment in practical or defensive shooting my entire life, including my years as a police officer. Stories and examples of that are for another thread though.

Let’s just say that the pistol competitors conditioning (Camp Perry type, 2700 matches) in me, runs deep. As a competitor with finely, hand-worked, custom-‘smithed’ pistols, I had been conditioned to hold the trigger back when releasing the slide to chamber a round from the magazine. This was in the interest of protecting finely-honed sear-surfaces to keep the competitive pistols in top condition so that they maintained a very clean trigger break.

So one day I was riding shotgun in the range pickup as another instructor drove. We had a lot of pheasants on the rural ranges of Beale Air Force Base. In fact, Beale was designated as an Air Force hunting preserve. General Jimmy Stewart had actually visited there to hunt when I was on-site.

Because we instructors were sporting men who were mostly superior marksmen, we took pleasure in hunting the pheasant with our 22 pistols. “Head-shots” only. I was carrying my High Standard Citation which was my fine pistol used in competition. We were driving to hunt out on the “north 40". I decided to chamber a round before getting out of the truck and in the same second as I did so, I realized, oh no! I had not held the trigger back. Without any time to ponder the consequences I quickly did so. I pulled the trigger back as if that would correct my oversight. Of course the round had been chambered so I capped it off. BANG! It went through the floor board between my feet. I was shocked and frightened and simultaneously overwhelmed with gratitude that no one was hurt. My sidekick, Sgt. Bob Atwell looked at me with astonished eyeballs. We both agreed, silently as I recall, "The less said about this the better!"

I quickly realized that while I had made a serious error, resulting in an ND, at the same time my safety training, which was also very deeply embedded, had ensured that the muzzle was pointed in a safe direction. I ended up using the incident as an example to many students in my classes in following years both while in the USAF and as a civilian or policeman.

by Rik Goodell
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