"The Mad Minute" originally coined by the British Army prior to WWI, refers to the APWT (annual personnel weapons test), where each infantryman would have to qualify his marksmanship training with his bolt action .303 Lee Enfield Rifle, by placing 15 hits on target at 300 yards away in 60 seconds. This would create an intense rate of fire on the training field and help steel the nerve of soldiers entering combat.
During the Vietnam War, the term "Mad Minute" refers to the intense rate of fire that all available weapons could produce toward every available target for at least 1 minute. This is quite effective for discouraging enemy troop movement and for clearing LZ's (landing zones). It was also helpful in blowing off steam when the frustration of taking fire from a hidden enemy became too much to bear.
This sculpture depicts two Marines during the Vietnam War in a free fire zone on an undetermined hill in the jungles of South Vietnam. One man is firing the M16A1, while the other man is firing his M79 Grenade Launcher.
