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I trained on the 113 when I was in the mech track of my Infantry officer Basic course at Ft Benning. I remember going off to the YAK ATTACK (Our NTC prep place) a huge "firing center" in the Yakima desert in eastern Washington State. The whole thing looks like the surface of the moon nad is just about one huge RANGE. The tanks fire there...the grunts fire everything in the inventory there....you name it. You spend three months in the field eating MRE's (Meals REJECTED by EVERYONE) twice a day and T-Rats for dinner if you're lucky and get a field shower maybe once every four days. Hey, you ever notice that once you get past the first ten days without a shower or change of BDU's that everybody starts smelling like food? I'm not kidding. I can remember closing my eyes and taking a deep sniff. If I smelled PIZZA it was pfc Jones. If a cheesburger it was SFC SMITH. Really.

Anyway, troops being the inventors they are found a way to gather fresh meat (most of us officers had at least a full mag of live ammo to keep the biker gangs from stealing an M16 or an M60 which has happened...) using just their M16s and accessories and blanks.

Here's what happens: You take an M16 blank and pop the crimp. Then you take a blank M60 rd and pop that crimp and pour the powder from the M60 into the previously emptied M16 cartridge and recrimp. NOW you have a MEGA M16 blank cartridge. Next, you take a couple of cleaning rods and screw them together and slide them down the barrel of your rifle....and single load your round. Presto! HARPOON GUN. The rod will go clean thru about 3 inches of pine board at 25 feet. Now...we always had wild dogs (your story reminded me of this) snuffling around our positions scrounging for food. They were usually huntin' dogs that got lost and formed packs turning feral. They could be dangerous especially to smaller animals and kids cause they had no innate fear of man. But you'd hear them sniffing around our fighting positions and then you'd hear "VOLLEY FIRE" blam blam blam blam blam! and a sort of gurgling animal scream and there'd be a huge dog with ten harpoons stuck thru it and the guys would build a firepit and break out the hot sauce.....Roast leg of dawg is actually pretty good. Beats RAT on a stick any day.

Man, you got some pretty creative soldiers there. I spent about 7 years in TO&E units, but never heard of the field expedient harpoon. Great idea though. And yeah, I carried live rounds in my 45 for the same reasons you did.

Guess you never served in Germany, where a YAC ATK has a different meaning.

I was a newly promoted captain serving in _____________. I was on the bn staff. Our bn cmdr was an a--hole, just fresh from milpercen. He didn't give a damn about soldiers, of fighting commies, just his career and looking good (of course he made GO). The HHC 1SG was a real stud. Vietnam vet, served in some airborne bn in Germany. One time he invited me to his office after the duty day; most of the HHC E-7's were there. He commenced to explain to me what a yac attack was. He opened up his bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of french cognac (very cheap in duetchland) and we all passed it around. The stuff tastes like moonshine to me, lol.

That my dear sir, is what a real YAC ATK is.