At the shooting range, I learnt one thing which is very important...Never play around with guns or get distracted. In one occasion, we were doing an important procudere that came at the last stage in the shooting practice. It was to clear the bullet compartment of the M16 rifle from a bullet or bullets that might still remain 'unseen' in the chamber. Everybody had to stand up with the right hand holding the rifle's pistol grip. After making sure the compartment had been secured, we had to 'slap' the breach block button and automatically the sliding mechanism lurched forward. Then a loud 'bang' echoed. One rifle was still loaded and the cadet behind me accidentally pulled the trigger... He was standing right behind me. The bullet whizzed over my head and went straight up. I turned my head and saw the cadet who was still astonished with his mouth agape. The Instructors were looking at each other and believe me, their faces were as white as a surprised ghost. I thought the cadet must have miscalculated the amount of bullets contained in the magazine. So after finishing his 19th-bullet, he assumed there was no bullet left...leaving behind a 5.56 mm in the bullet compartment. It is a classic example of one small failure which leads to a bigger catastrophy. A wake up call that resonates eternal pulse in me...the pulse that reverberates continuously which carry one crucial message...You do not know when your time is up.
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