Here's a breakdown of drill today:
Morning formation was at 0700- an hour earlier than normal because of this great heat we're experiencing. I believe today was the 22nd straight day over 100. There's a reason I exercise before the sun comes up... Word quickly spread that I was an OCS candidate- seems like I was the only one (either that or the others kept it quiet). This earned me the attention of all the sergeants and my battalion commander during PT. Awesome. It also meant my name was changed to OCS whenever the cat calls of "encouragement" were intended for me.
Not that I'm in the second phase of RSP we do the full 2-2-2 APFT test. That's max push ups in two minutes, max sit ups in two minutes and a two mile run. I've maintained a fairly strict workout routine since last drill and saw improvements over all my exercises. I still have a long way to go but you have to start somewhere. Here were my scores:
Push-ups: 40 (60 points-Pass)
Sit-up: 80 (100 points-Pass)
2 mile: 0:16:27 (61 points-Pass)
Total Score: 221 of the required 180
So I passed! Thanks to those who prayed for my run time- that was a bit of a small miracle as I hadn't completed the 2 mile in anything less than 0:17:04 in my personal workouts. Running with others definitely helped motivate me (as did wanting to make a good impression on my battalion commander who I was meeting for the first time). The goal is to take 3.5 minutes off that time by the end of BCT. Leading from the front is expected from officers- especially infantry ones. My counter didn't count about 30% of the push ups I did because they weren't "OCS push ups" (chest to the ground). Whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. I still passed.
We spent the rest of the morning going over first aid in a combat setting. I'd been a lifeguard for 7 years but it adds a whole new level of intensity when "You! Go call 911!" isn't an option and checking to make sure the scene is safe means eliminating enemy combatants and searching for possible IED ambushes. Medics on the battle field aren't a guarantee and sometimes saving a fellow soldier (or even an enemy combatant) is left up to you. We learned how to put on the Army's new tourniquet. Apparently the one from WWII with a handkerchief and stick (or some variation thereof) was still standard issue through the early 2000's. Its really easy to use, carried by every soldier, and can be self-applied.
For some of the hands on part they dressed me up in Arab clothes and I ran into the room and blew up some explosive simulator. That woke everybody up- you should've seen their faces...
The end of the day we prepped for our mission tomorrow, which was creating a perimeter and securing a building. Should be fun. We get to run around with replica M4 carbines and take down bad guys. Oh- and get paid for it :) Glad to be doing work I enjoy.
[Oh, and no uniform yet except for the RSP track suit they issued me... yeah its about as awesome as it sounds. They ordered my ACU about 3 weeks ago so it should be in for next drill where I'll get to wear it for the weekend, then turn it back in since I'll be getting new uniforms at BCT in September. Sometimes it's better to not ask questions.]
OK, so as your former teacher, I LOVE that you have definitions for the "lay people" reading your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteSo here's my question, and maybe it's a lame one: are you enjoying this? Is this meant to be enjoyed? Or maybe I should ask, is it what you expected? You know I'll be asking a lot of questions while you're one with this journey...
At what point do you (as an OCS candidate) separate yourself from the enlisted recruits? Are the RSP soldiers integrated into the unit or are you a separate RSP platoon? I saw you mentioned being watched by the BC, do you drill as a battalion or are you drilling with H&S? Was your combat first aid a CLS sort of class or just "stop the bleeding start the breathing" sort of stuff. Is the new tourniquet you were talking about the CAT or something else? Are the rubber duckies because you're RSP or is that standard for the NG to use for training?
ReplyDeleteTell me if I'm asking too many questions - I'm just curious about how the army side of the house works.
@SDB: Yeah, the acronyms are a must have for all the technical jargon the government loves to come up with. I find myself getting lost a lot so I figured it would help :) Yes, I am enjoying it. The enjoyment comes from the satisfaction of pursuing a dream and finding that it meets the expectations I had for it. Weather or not I'm "supposed to" enjoy it- I doubt there are Army generals that loose sleep over how they can make my experience more fun, but I suspect most people do which allows us to have a completely volunteer military service in the US. A military career (just like any other career you can be called to) can be a fulfilling and rewarding one if you want it to be.
ReplyDelete@thegreattree: After I go through basic and start OCS is when the separation officially begins. Right now I'm just an E-4 (Specialist). There's a separate RSP platoon but the BC shows up when he's available to watch over the training that's going on. I didn't see him doing anything other than observing us and talking with the cadre. The 1st aid was really just an intro to what we'll get at basic so it was just "stop the bleeding start the breathing" training. Yes, we were using the CAT. Not exactly sure why we were using training rifles but it probably had to do with the fact that they didn't have to go through copious amounts of safety training with us since we hadn't been to basic yet. The training facility is also in the middle of a residential area and we share a section of property with a local park.