When I joined the Army in 1961, many who had served before me offered two words of advice: "Don't volunteer." Volunteers became visible. They were the ones picked to peel potatoes and clean urinals with toothbrushes.

So what was I doing yesterday in the middle of a south Georgia Air Force gunnery and bombing range, waiting to be zapped by some kind of Buck Rogers ray gun?

I volunteered.

Not only did I volunteer, my hand went up first when military officials asked a group of about 10 reporters whether anyone wanted to feel the effects of their revolutionary "Active Denial System," a non-lethal weapon that fires beams of electromagnetic energy that creates discomfort and panic.

The beam strikes with a blast of 130-degree heat that makes people think their clothing is about to ignite.

In development for 12 years, the first of two prototypes of the ray gun has been turned over to the 820th Security Forces Group at Moody Air Force Base for final evaluation. Members of the 820th have made frequent trips to Iraq and Afghanistan to guard bases and provide other protective services, so they know weapons — lethal and non-lethal.

Officials say all branches of military have expressed interest in the technology, which could be used to disrupt riots, to hold potential enemies at bay or to force enemies to drop their weapons — all without killing them. The ray gun can be mounted on vehicles and ships and aboard aircraft.

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PLEASE SIGN HERE

We reporters covering the demonstration had to sign releases, which I guess absolved the government of any responsibility in case we began losing body parts or suffering any other ill effects. They assured us that the weapon had been tested on hundreds of volunteers — again that word — and reviewed by prestigious medical boards that concluded it was safe and caused no health problems.

I asked the officer passing out the forms if that was the same release given to soldiers exposed to nuclear radiation during the Nevada atomic bomb tests in the 1950s. I believe his response was, "Sir, it's a totally different military now."

Then we got a briefing from a Pentagon lawyer who assured us the weapon was in compliance with all international treaties and laws of warfare.

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IN THE CROSSHAIRS

So there I stood, a bulls-eye in the middle of the 10-foot-square target area, marked off by blaze-orange tape stretched across the ground. I wondered why they didn't offer me a last cigarette, but of course that's no longer politically correct. Remember, it's a totally different military now.

What about a blindfold?

Nearby, an airman talked on a handheld radio with the weapon's operators, seated in a green-camouflaged Humvee that was parked more than 500 yards away. Perched atop the Humvee was a square dish antenna about 6 feet wide.

At that distance, the Humvee was just a dot on a background of pine and cypress trees. The weapon fires electromagnetic millimeter waves at a frequency of 95 GHz, which can penetrate only 1/64 of an inch of skin — about the thickness of two or three sheets of paper. In other words, deep enough to be felt, but not deep enough to cause serious burns.

Some news reports had said the weapon fires microwaves, which transmit on a frequency of 2.4 GHz. Those waves, used to cook foods in microwave ovens, are capable of penetrating several inches of flesh. (Wi-Fi signals and some cordless phones also use the 2.4 GHz frequency band. But those don't cook us because they operate at extremely low power.)

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I'M HIT

As I waited for the blast, I remembered the ray guns I'd seen in comic books as a kid in the 1950s. People zapped by them often got melted into a puddle.

So then it hit me. I felt a blast of heat from the stomach to the groin, and I thought my fleece jacked was about to melt and then ignite. It was a Christmas present and I wondered how I'd explain a big hole with charred edges.

Then, of course, I did what others do when hit by the beam. I jumped out of its path, squealing with excitement and maybe relief, but also glancing down to make sure all of me was still there.

The experts say the Active Denial System is the most effective, most precise non-lethal weapon available, with a range that is 17 times greater than current non-lethal weapons — weapons like rubber bullets, which they say are about as effective as "throwing rocks."

They certainly convinced me that the system could help save the lives of innocent civilians and our young service members in Iraq and Afghanistan. It would offer a non-lethal option troops could use before they had to resort to deadly force.

So bring on the ray guns.

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asap contributor Elliott Minor is an AP correspondent based in Albany, Ga.

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