Connie enthusiastically shoots a M249 light machine gun as Sgt. 1st Class Wolf feeds the belt. Her husband is in Special Forces, and family members fired the weapons Monday to become more familiar with equipment the SF soldiers use. This is one of the events that make Menton Week, an annual observance by the 1st Special Forces Group.

Photo by Peter Haley, The News Tribune.

Two of Sherri's children, Kylee, 6, and Houston, 3, wince at the loud machine guns at a Fort Lewis firing range. This is one of the events that make Menton Week, an annual observance by the 1st Special Forces Group.

Photo by Peter Haley, The News Tribune.

Eight-year-old McKenna gets assistance shooting a modified M4 carbine rounds. Her dad is a Special Forces soldier at Fort Lewis. This is one of the events that make Menton Week, an annual observance by the 1st Special Forces Group.

Photo by Peter Haley, The News Tribune.

Dennis Narvaes doesn’t have much experience with firearms. But when offered a chance to pop off a few rounds with military-grade weapons at a Fort Lewis range, the Hawaii resident appeared to relish the opportunity.

“It’s pretty exciting,” he said minutes before an instructor taught him the basics of how to safely load and fire an M9 pistol.

Elsewhere at a cluster of three firing ranges at Fort Lewis, military families learned how to shoot a variety of weapons used by the 1st Special Forces Group. The event was part of Menton Week, an annual celebration honoring the service of the combined U.S. and Canadian First Special Force. The elite unit, nicknamed the Devil's Brigade, fought in Alaska, Italy and southern France during World War II.

Dozens of spouses, parents and children were attending Monday’s event. Participants could shoot several weapons – including the Squad Automatic Weapon, M240B, M-4 and MP-5 – or scale a climbing wall. A tent run by the unit’s family readiness group sold refreshments and T-shirts and offered cakes donate by the group as part of a silent auction.

Family members could also use a skydiving simulator; participants hung from a parachute harness and wore virtual-reality goggles that simulated an air drop.

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A career fair for service members and veterans is coming to the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center on Thursday.

Plenty of local, regional and state employers will be there. Here’s the skinny:

What: RecruitMilitary Career Fair
Where: Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma
When: Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

And click below for the press release – which has tons more information:

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Don’t worry if you see special-operations soldiers with maple leafs on their berets airdropping into Fort Lewis this week. Our northern neighbors haven’t launched an attempted annexation of Washington.

It’s the 64th annual Menton Week, which commemorates the U.S. and Canadian First Special Service Force. The two-nation commando unit, most commonly known as the Devil's Brigade, fought in Alaska, Italy and southern France during World War II.

The week coincides with the deactivation of the unit on Dec. 5, 1944 in Villenueve-Loubet, France. Canadian special operations soldiers and the Fort Lewis-based 1st Special Forces Group have a variety of events scheduled throughout the week, including:

Monday: A demonstration of special operations small-arms weapons and events for family members – and here’s the kicker – “a chance to shoot various special operations small arms.”

Tuesday: A combined wreath-laying ceremony at the 1st Special Forces Group compound.

Wednesday: A skills competition that features helicopter rappelling and marksmanship events.

Photo courtesy of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command