Kari Binns sighted an M249 Squad Assault Weapon (SAW) on a paper target 50 meters away.

She pulled the trigger and didn't stop firing until the belt of 7.62 mm ammunition ran out. At that instant, the firing line on Range 6B went silent.

"Boy," a Soldier standing behind me said. "I sure wouldn't want her angry at me."

Laughter rippled up and down the line.

Her husband, Staff Sgt. Michael Binns, Bravo Company, 1^st Battalion, 17^th Infantry Regiment, 2^nd Brigade, 2^nd Infantry Division, shook his head. "I'm very impressed with her skills," he said with a smile.

Soldiers from Bravo Company hosted a GI Jane Day Feb. 3 in order to give approximately 60 spouses and family members a fun - but challenging - look into some of unit's training.

"This is a lot of fun," Darcy Moore said after firing an M4 rifle.  "I don't usually get to see what my husband does, and I sure don't get to do this," she said as she handed the weapon to her husband.

Helping the Soldiers with the event were members of unit's Family Readiness Group (FRG).

During the event, spouses and family members participated in a "Battle-Rattle Dash" of 400 meters while wearing their spouse's Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV), practiced their marksmanship with both an M4 rifle and the M249 SAW, rode in a Stryker and experienced wearing a pair of night vision goggles (NVGs) in a darkened tent.

"She wanted to do this," Pfc. Addison Rodriquez pointed out as his wife pulled on her husband's IOTV. 

"Yeah," Anna Rodriquez replied with a smile.  "I figured I could be him for a day, and I also figured it would be easy," she added with a bigger smile. The weight of her husband's IOTV had not yet made its presence felt. "I'm looking forward to shooting, though," she added.

For the company's senior non-commissioned officers, the GI Jane Day allowed families to see, hear and feel what their Soldiers experience as they prepare for any potential, future deployments.

And everyone had fun.

"This event allows us the chance to show our loved ones what we do," Sgt. 1st Class Jason Taylor, Bravo Company's 1^st Sergeant, explained. "This day and its events build cohesion between our Soldiers and their family members, and that is very important to our mission."