Posted: 3/17/2007 5:12:47 AM EDT
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Morning. As a contingent to my remaining employed as a JROTC instructor I have been assigned the additional duty of "Cannon Team" coach. We were blessed with an 06 a year ago who last week decided he is the alpha male -his words- and as a display of his power reassigned me from the drill/color guard team to the other. When he bought that damn cannon last year I told him I wasn't going to have anything to do with it. It is a full sized black powder mountain howitzer. It is cast iron. It has no steel sleeve lining. Charges are made by a parent. I don't know when, where, by whom, or how the gun was made. I have no idea how many times it has been fired. My intent is when I tell him again I'm not going to have anyting to do with it is to present a damning case of safety issues so the school board and JROTC/Cadet Command will see how dangerous it is. Currently fifteen & sixteen year old kids are firing it. Anyone with artillery or explosives experience who can provide information I can source reference in a document to be presented for review ? I've googled it for hours, I need hard data. Thanks. |
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Talk to your brigade JROTC guys and tell them what you told us here, especially the reloaded ammo. That is a huge liability issue for the brigade commander if something happens. They should be using factory produced ammunition for it. They pulled all the .22 rifles from JROTC 3 years ago after the Missouri Military Academy student was killed. They shut down all firing in Cadet Command until each school sent up a detailed description of how they conducted live fire, range facilities, etc. I did ours and we were the first school in our brigade to resume firing. Same thing would happen here if something happened to the kids due to that gun. Is the cannon a home built thing or a factory gun? Does the construction look shoddy? Include all that info to brigade if it's relevant. BTW, how can your continued employment be contingent on you being in charge of that gun? Does he not like you or something? |
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It can't be that hard to find ROTC regulations that just out right forbid the use of that cannon. I would be on the phone to ROTC headquarters. That 0-6 has bosses, too, put them to work. If nothing else, call the JAG at ROTC headquarters for an opinion. Your concern is legitimate. Some day, ask the Kappa Alpha fraternity organization for their opinion of cannons. redleg13A works at the campus where a fatal blowup occurred, he can find some first hand knowledge right there. |
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Is it used to launch projectiles, or is it just a noise/flash+smoke maker? The charges made by a parent would bother me, at least until I'd had a chance to talk to that parent to see how professional and safety conscious their practices are. Which is your main concern, the cannon's safety aspects, or your job change? Two seperate issues. Good luck. Karl |
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This story should be relevant in a discussion of using a cannon of unknown metallurgy, from a quick google for the Snohomish (Wa) HS MCJROTC 2006 accident: www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-us&q=brett+karch+cannon+accident |
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Is the cannon a home built thing or a factory gun? Does the construction look shoddy? Include all that info to brigade if it's relevant. BTW, how can your continued employment be contingent on you being in charge of that gun? Does he not like you or something? Is the cannon a home built? I think so. They bought it second hand. Construction? Decent. It is a completely functional black powder mountain howitzer, 1000lbs, would shot out anything that was stuffed down the barrel. Employment? Threat of decertification due to disrepect, defiance ect. Does he not like you? Nope not now. They love you as long as you make them look good and until you tell them no. And safety is the only issue. redleg13A works at the campus where a fatal blowup occurred, he can find some first hand knowledge right there. Please forward info. I have not brought this to brigade yet. I want ti have a solid defense for refusal at each level with documentation before I go there. The O6 is very well connected with them. I'm headed out on a camping trip, will be back tomorrow morning. Thanks |
as a parent i would have to agree. if YOU as the instructor have concerns, my kid wouldn't be anywhere near it. your o-6 is an ass. i had to deal with a few self designated "alpha males" while i was active duty. None of them could command their way out of a shopping mall. in every case everyone under them hated them. I know your pain.... this isn't going to end well. you need to remind this idiot that you are NOT dealing with active duty soldiers you are dealing with kids, and more specifically their parents. Get one hurt with this kind of stupidity and you can kiss the jrotc program at that school goodbye. |
| Thanks for the info, we are all in agreement but I need specific facts to support my position. I have located a lot of information through various sources, I want to return my opposition with an intensity and detalied factually supported position that will be beyond question. I'll only have one chance. I'm 95% sure he will deny it regardless of what I present so I want to be able to move on up the ladder with a position that will make his refusal appear completely ludicrous. One side will be the school board, the other will be the military. Thanks again |
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axl Around 1978 the Kappa Alpha frat at the University of Missouri - Rolla had a muzzle loading cannon blow up that killed one student, and I don't recall how many were injured. I can't find anything on line, but redleg13a should be able to get the details easily. I was thinking about this while driving to the country this weekend, and I think you should contact the North South Skirmish Association and ask about what they require to "certify" a cannon for use in their competitions and also whether they have member near your location that can give an opinion about the cannon. I also think you need to make the school administration, the school board, and the parents aware of what is going on. Don't go overboard, just express concerns that the cannon may not be safe and needs thorough check out. If nothing else, notify the parents anonymously, their standard of proof of a problem doesn't have to be high to be concerned about the safety of their kids. |
| So far, I've found out the incident did happen around 1978. The local paper and the school paper both wrote articles on it. The students who were firing the cannon loaded it with smokeless powder rather than black powder and it exploded. One student was killed and several others injured. If I find more info, I'll post it here. |