Sorry about the entires this week - I'd like to go into more detail, but apparently the DS's figured we got enough personal time Monday, so we don't get any the rest of the week. Thus I'm writing when we have 5 or so minutes of down time.
Today was probably the most fun we've had at Basic so far. We had our first all day FTX (Field Training Exercise). We spend the whole day in our armor learning the basics of what will build into a full 4 day - 3 night FTX at the end of our training that incorporates all we've learned at BCT.
We covered setting up a camp, and each got to set up our one-man tents. They also extensively covered personal hygiene in the field. Apparently, it has been a problem in past cycles.
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| Setting up our 1-man tents |
Next we learned how to turn the tide of an ambush to gain superiority over enemy forces. That is the type of training I've been wanting to cover - high speed soldier skills.
After that we laid a foundation for MOUT training (Kicking in doors and taking down bad guys). We practiced checking for booby traps and entering rooms quickly and effectively. It was just like what we did in White Phase at RSP again - more fun.
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| Stacking on the house |
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| Calling in the MedEvac |
We didn't spend the night - that will be next week. It was a good day and we learned a lot. I'm glad the pace has picked up a bit.
Thursday 10/13
We had our 2nd APFT this morning. The DS grading me was super strict, so I lost a few points from my first test on push-ups and sit-ups. I did drop over 2 minutes of my 2-mile time adn ran a 13:38. 13:00 is a perfect score and I hope to drop another 60 seconds off my time by the last test of the cycle. I'm happy with my time. It's the fastest I've ever run a 2 mile. A drastic change since May when I started running again.
The rest of the day was pretty light. We had a class on night vision goggles, M-4 carbines, and the optics and lasers used with them.
I got 2 great letters from friends that caught me up on current events and some articles from artofmanliness.com - I can't thank you all enough for those. Anything to make life here seem more "normal" is worth its weight in gold. I've gotten a few letters with pictures and those are great too! About 3 weeks of training and 4 til I get home, so I'm zoned in on getting Basic Training behind me.
Friday 10/14
Highlights of the day:
2.5 mile AGR this morning for PT
Familiarization on M-4 with red-dot optics. We show 30 rounds moving in our gear at pop up targets. Fun. Fun. Fun.
Night fire. FUN. FUN. FUN. Shooting pop up targets using night vision goggles (NVG), IR lasers (that you can only see with the goggles), and the M-4. I've never shot at night before or used night vision. I'm a fan of both. Let's put it this way: If Francis Scott Key had NVG's, the National Anthem would've sounded more like the theme song from Top Gun.
My shoulders are about to fall off from spending the whole day in my gear.
Saturday and Sunday 10/15-16
Saturday was pretty chill. We started a course on hand to hand combat and practiced for a few hours. Then we got word another soldier from another company contracted a deadly strain of meningitis, so we all went up to our sleep bays to bleach everything. (We got news at church that the soldier will make a full recovery, so we were thankful for answered prayers.) I got a rocking MRE for dinner that had cookies and a Poptart. It's the small things here you have to look for... It has become blatantly obvious that we're going to be one of the companies that never gets to call home. Some people I've talked to are getting the full "relaxin' Jackson" experience, but not us. We'll be better off, I guess.
The weather here has been great the last few days - it'd be perfect for camping.
Sunday morning I went to church with my buddies and we did laundry before lunch. We went to the PX and did yard work the rest of the day. Another week down and closer to Family Day.
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