This weekend was my first drill with the National Guard. It was a bit unusual as Saturday's normal drill was replaced by a trip to an Indy race. My recruiter got my wife and I vouchers to go on a pit tour, hang out at the NG Racing hospitality tent, race tickets, and best of all- we got passes to take 3 laps in the back seat of a modified Indy car. Unfortunately, I was too tall to fit and was unable to ride. But my wife got to experience the track at 180 mph. When she got out she asked who her driver was- Mario Andretti. It was an unforgettable experience and probably the most fun I've been paid to have.
Sunday I met up with the recruits doing the normal drill. The NG has a program unlike any other service that prepares you for basic training. RSP or Recruit Sustainment Program helps you get one step ahead by exposing you to elements of basic training that tend to hang up new recruits. Its a low pressure environment that allows you to fail without getting chewed out for it- in other words you're still treated like a human being while you're learning.
Red Phase is the first phase of the program. We were issued track suits, notebooks, an Army policy book, and a book that most people don't get until basic to start studying. I missed day one so I don't know exactly what the rest of my class did, but it sounded like mostly paperwork, customs and courtesies, and drill and ceremony. Sunday morning we stared out with a 1-1-1 or half of a regular APFT (1 min. max push-ups, 1 min. max sit-ups, 1 mile run). I well exceeded the requirements for push-ups and sit-ups but was just a tad too slow on the mile run. Each event has a maximum score of 100 points and to pass basic training you need to score at least 50 points in each event. However, in the RSP program you need to be able to score 60 points in each before they'll let you attend BCT. Next month I'll do the full test and I know where I need to push myself.
The rest of the day we did drill and ceremony (marching, formations, saluting, etc...), took a group test, filled out paperwork, and the guys who didn't have an AKO account (army email and such) were signed up for one. Even after one weekend, it's neat to see how a rag-tag group of civilians are starting to be transformed into members of the greatest military force on the planet. We were dismissed around 1400 and I was home 15 minutes after that. Not a bad weekend.
