quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
30 meters is 98 feet. That's a decent distance though I've always thought it's not throwing that makes it hard, it's the way you're "supposed" to throw it. It's not like throwing a baseball. I use the 2 seam or 4 seam grip on a baseball to throw it. The Army teaches you to grip the grenade with your entire hand, do a Hulk Hogan pointing towards your target and cocking your throwing hand back near your ear....

Real story. One of the trainees in my basic was a minor league (but pro) baseball pitcher about 6'4", ~230 pounds. In the live training he dropped the grenade after pulling the pin, his and the drill sgts adrenaline skyrocketed, he picked it up and threw it like a baseball. The spotter in the tower reported it went ~90 meters (IIRC), farthest he had ever seen. I got perfect score for accuracy, zero for distance.

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
So grenade throwing is no longer required in warfare? Fantastic.

Has anyone told the other side??

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
Of course this has nothing to do with gender…...

Actually, soon all war will be automated with robots and artificial inteligence, soldiers will sit back and watch while drinking beer. Until one day when technology breaks . . . .

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
Sadly this is another effort to lower standards to make the military more 'do-able' by females.

Make no mistake.

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When I went through grenade qualification it was mostly the guys that couldn't throw.

Plus like mentioned above it's not like throwing a baseball.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:

quote:

Originally posted by cslinger:
So grenade throwing is no longer required in warfare? Fantastic.

Has anyone told the other side??

Maybe they could have Amazon deliver them

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by medic451:
Might be removed during basic training but not infantry school. No biggie...

Spoilsport. Just when we were working up a good amount of outrage.

Stole your thunder, didn't he, wet blanket?

Ain't that right?

You were all set to come in here and tell people how wrong they are to think whatever they were thinking, and someone beat you to it. Must be frustrating.

How often are troops deployed with grenades anymore? Just curious.

Use the training as a filter.
Can't throw it? Congrats, you're a cook.

What ????!!!! Every soldier should get the opportunity to learn and throw a grenade, especially a live one, because in the end no matter your MOS we are all infantry riflemen !!! Glad I was able to qualify expert in basic training with the grenade and then Expert with my M203 grenade launcher and M16 at my permanent duty station God Bless

Just keep women away from the fighting altogether. Don't let them get within 200 miles of a battlefield and all will be well.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
‘What we have found is it is taking far, far too much time,’ said Maj. Gen. Malcolm Frost, the commanding general of the US Army Center of Initial Military Training.

Far, far too much time, huh? It took my company one whole afternoon to get through it. Yep, those couple of hours seemed like a lifetime and I just shudder to think what we missed out on learning because we spent far, far too much time at the grenade range...that afternoon.

I'm sorry General, but you are an idiot and have no business being in command of anything.

And, yes, it can still be taught in AIT, but everyone in uniform is a soldier first, regardless of their MOS. As such, they need to be taught basic soldiering skills rather than just their MOS. How to handle a grenade is a basic soldiering skill.

quote:

Originally posted by medic451:
Might be removed during basic training but not infantry school. No biggie...

Probably makes sense, those who may actually need to use a grenade in real combat will get proper training.

As per the OP, I wonder how much of the change is due to focusing more on the likely needed skills of soldiers; vs how much of the change is due to making things easier for less qualified personnel.

quote:

Originally posted by zoom6zoom:
Use the training as a filter.
Can't throw it? Congrats, you're a cook.

NO!

Can't throw it? Congrats, here's your general discharge. Don't let the door smack your ass on the way out!

In 62 we had to throw two over a small embankment into a huge pit. One was a flash bang and one was a fragmentation. We done that and then had to crawl through the infiltration course three times the same day one of those times at night, and it rained off and on all day. Fun time at Ft. Gordon indeed.

The article does state that it will still be taught in basic training and that recruits will still throw a live grenade. The only change is that qualification is not necessary to graduate.

“The Army says that starting next summer it will remove the requirement from its Basic Combat Training because it takes too much time to teach enlistees to throw grenades at an adequate distance.

I understand that the entrance qualifications for the military may have been loosened up somewhat. However, having been there and done that, I can say with certainty that it does not take a freaking genius to throw a grenade.

Any more than it takes a genius to throw a damned ROCK.

Simple. Pull pin, throw. And, given the nature of war, even this so-called modern war, just who can be sure that they will never be in a combat situation? Women, men, their unit gets attacked, or over run, and WHOOPS! we have to fight the bad guys when we were never trained to really be good shots, or to throw grenades, etc.

In my view/opinion if you are going into the military you should be prepared to have to fight off the bad guys.

Anyone else remember those "insider" attacks in Afghanistan? I know a number of US soldiers who were wounded or killed by them.

Back during Nate's first deployment to Afghanistan he sent pictures of him out training AMERICAN SOLDIERS HOW TO SHOOT!!!!!! A lot of them were female, in a hot zone and had never learned to shoot.

And apparently it has not gotten much better since then.

Maybe they could toss it underhand.

quote:

Originally posted by Scoutmaster:

As per the OP, I wonder how much of the change is due to focusing more on the likely needed skills of soldiers; vs how much of the change is due to making things easier for less qualified personnel.

Do we fight in urban areas. Why yes we do.

Grenades are very useful in MOUT.

Your 'cut' is ironic. But then again - can't have 'double standards' when the standard is dropped entirely.

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quote:

Originally posted by bdylan:
The article does state that it will still be taught in basic training and that recruits will still throw a live grenade. The only change is that qualification is not necessary to graduate.

Heck. Drop a bunch of other requirements too while they're at it.

What could possibly go wrong?

Also - you know what the next step is after 'dropping the requirement for graduation' ? The training is cancelled / eliminated entirely because guess why ?? It's not required for graduation.

Pathetic.

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Probably a good idea given the 'quality' of the recruits today. Likely will save a lot of American military lives.