Fort Cavazos, Texas. (January 9, 2024): Every recruit undergoing basic combat training can attest to the horror they felt when a drill sergeant first handed them a live grenade. In this photo by Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Hughes, a soldier assumes the proper launch posture to accurately throw a live grenade. Before coming near a live grenade, every Soldier and Marine is taught a highly rigid set of procedures they will use when it is time to toss the real thing.

First, every troop is taught the hand-exchange process receiving a grenade and the proper aiming method. Trainees spend hours tossing practice dummies until each has perfected their launch technique. On the day of the real deal, troops are taken to a special range that has fortified concrete “stalls” placed side-by-side and usually positioned atop a hill so that grenades fall away naturally.

Each soldier takes position in the center stall and is then handed a live grenade by a range instructor. Recruits are taught that, should they drop it, they are to yell “Grenade! Grenade! Grenade while they are hurling themselves into the adjoining stalls to escape the blast. These grenade drills assess a trainee’s nerves and composure under stress, something they will need in abundance in combat.