United States Army
Basic Training Operating Instructions
Hand Grenades
1. References: BCT POI 21-114, Annex D; USAARMC 385-22
2. Range layout is in Appendix 1.
3. Mill Creek is laid out in two phases.
a. Phase I (Mock Bay): The soldiers arrive by bus and lay down their rucksacks and report to the bleachers for their safety briefing and instruction. They will then practice proper throwing techniques.
(1) 3-81 personnel must qualify the soldiers in the mock bay prior to sending them to the Live Bay portion.
(2) Soldiers who do not demonstrate proper technique will by marked with an “X” and sent for retraining by their drill sergeants.
(a) The soldier will then report back to the 3-81 instructor who initially graded him for another attempt to qualify.
(b) If the soldier fails the Mock Bay again, the grader will mark him with an “O” on his helmet.
(c) These unqualifed soldiers, or “XO’s” will not throw Live Bay that day but will be able to still execute the Qualification Course.
(3) The Training NCO will reschedule “XOs” to throw with the next unit and immediately request ammunition through the S3 Shop; soldiers must throw 2 live hand grenades in order to graduate.
b. Phase II (HGQC): The soldiers will be divided into two groups.
(1) One group will go to the Live Bay portion. The road will be closed and a guard posted to stop all vehicle and personnel traffic. The FLA will remain at the Live Bay, with 2 drill sergeants for control. 3-81 AR cadre man the bays.
(2) The other group will go to the Hand Grenade Qualification Course. Drill Sergeants are the graders at the stations (total of 7 required).
(a) After the course the soldier will report to the recording shack where they will be told their qualification.
(b) The soldier will then report their rank, name and qualification to the commander who will be standing by a table with a blue tablecloth with completed qualification badges.
(c) The commander will pin the appropriate badge to the soldier’s left breast pocket. The Qualification Course is a graduation requirement.
(3) After the two groups complete their respective stations, they will rotate.
4. Soldiers may also march back from Mill Creek to fulfill their 10K footmarch. Ensure soldiers bring extra boots if rain is expected and flashlights in the event they have to march in the dark. Feed supper before departure or enroute.
5. Ensure company has additional batteries for PRC-77 radios and that all 5 PRC-127 radios are brought (one per platoon and one for the lead vehicle on the footmarch).
6. If Mill Creek is conducted on a Monday, coordinate with the brigade motor pool to dispatch all the vehicles the previous Friday to save time.
7. Extend supper hours on range night.
Note: These Operating Instructions were derived from a set of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) for a United States Army Infantry Basic Training Battalion. While SOPs might differ somewhat from batallion to batallion, it should give a basic idea of the instructions that Drill Sergeants and basic training staff members operate under.
