The current grenade fuze design only allows for a right-handed user to throw it in the upright position. A lefty has to hold the grenade upside down to safely pull the pin.
I've complained about it for decades. Ever since I had to throw hand grenades upside down. Yeah, that filled me with confidence. Now this I didn't know:
The Soldier at Fort Dix, a lefty, was preparing to throw an M69 practice grenade and was holding it in an inverted position with the vent port toward her face. Even though the master sergeant was wearing protective eyewear, when she pulled the pin, the fuze detonated and debris vented, burning her face and blinding her for three weeks.
Wonderful.
But the Army is working on a new grenade that can be used by left- and right-handed soldiers, as well as having other safety features:
Lauch believes his design is safer because a lefty or righty holds the grenade no differently, and because the grenade can only be armed by rotating the explosive chain in line.
No more branches or equipment snagging on the safety pin of the grenade hanging on your gear and pulling it (boom to follow in 3-5 seconds); no more scrambling for the pin on the ground when you decide at the last minute not to throw the grenade; and no more taping grenade levers down to prevent that first flaw, which can cause problems when you rip the tape from the grenade.
When you hear about all the new technology we develop for war, never forget that the infantry (in any country) is usually in last place when money is allocated. Only the fact that our infantry has been at war for a decade now has given them a higher priority than they usually get.
