Victory Forge

The last FTX (named Victory Forge) is a four-day, three-night culmination of all the skills taught at BCT. They bussed us out to a remote location on the base that was set up like a FOB (Forward Operating Base) just like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan (except we didn’t get internet or Xbox). During the day we’d go outside the wire (leave the base) and conduct patrols. Inevitably we’d run into enemy contact and we’d respond appropriately. The down time was really boring but when we were actually conducting missions it was really fun. Some of the missions involved searching for enemy mortar teams, using land nav to meet up with other coalition forces, searching an entire village for enemy combatants, searching for IED’s, and reacting to an ambush. At night we ran some night ops and got to use the NOD’s to go on patrol and react to enemy contact.

We slept in big military tents that could hold about 20 of us on cots (much nicer than the one-man tents we used on the last FTX).  There were wild rumors that we’d be hit with mortar or grenade attacks in the middle of the night if the DS’s got overzealous but nothing ever happened. The weather couldn’t have been better for that time of the year. When the sun went down it got pretty cold- cold enough that your hands hurt and you didn’t want to touch the metal on your rifle, but the day warmed up to the mid 70’s which is an ideal temperature to be running around in body armor.

The very last training event was a “10 mile” batallion ruck march (the Army requirement is 16k/10 mi but we ended up doing 12.3 miles- that's just how Fox Company rolls) from the FOB back to our company area. We started off at 1700 and marched exactly 4 hours back to our barracks. The pace was pretty quick and we were under a full load. Every hour to hour and a half we’d stop and take a rest. On the first break we pulled out our MRE and got to eat the main course and whatever else we could cram down in five minutes. They found the most uphill portions of the base and then laid down loose sand and that was the course we took. In the dark. Not exactly the family hikes you take on vacation. Surprisingly, by this stage of the game no one from our company fell out of the march. Just a few short weeks ago we had people that couldn't hack a 2 mile march. 

When we got back to the base the battalion gathered together for the Rites of Passage Ceremony that marked the end of our training. We were finally able to don our beret and take off the protective eyewear that we’d all been made to wear the last 10 weeks (yeah, everybody wore eye pro not just the people who needed BCG’s). It was a special moment to know that we had completed all the training required to graduate. By about 0100 we got to put our sore feet in bed and they let us sleep until about 0600. We’re still six days away from getting out of here but it’s good to know we’re done with the worst of it.

Soldier Leader of the Cycle/ US Weapons

10/31-11/4

It's been another blur of a week. This is my first chance to sit down and write. The week started off with a day at the Convoy Ops range. We got to ride around in Humvee's on patrol and learned how to react to enemy fire and IED's while mounted in a vehicle. I actually fit once I got in, but getting in and out with full gear and my long legs is going to take some practice. After mounted patrols, we took a class on IED's and did a foot patrol to see it we could spot them. Our platoon got blown up 7/10 times because we failed to see the device. The point of the class was to show you how closely you need to watch for the signs.

That night I lost the fight to fever, the flu, and feeling terrible. I'd been sick for 3 days prior and wasn't getting better, so I went to the acute care center after dinner Monday and was admitted with a fever of 101 degrees. They gave me two shots in the butt, Motrin, and sent me to spend the night in the hospital sleep quarters. For dinner I had an MRE and got to keep the peanut M&M's, so I got my Halloween candy. :) I woke up the next morning without a fever, so I got out as quickly as possible. Missing training this late in the game could easily make you miss your graduation date and restart the phase with another company. Speaking of phases, when I got back our flags were switched over to Blue Phase, the last phase of BCT.

We took a vote in each platoon for Soldier of the Cycle and Soldier Leader of the Cycle. Each PLT chooses a representative to compete at the company level, and ultimately, from the 6 nominees, one will win from each of the categories. I was voted by my platoon as Soldier Leader of the Cycle, which made me really proud. Before I left home, my unit commander told me I'd better not come home without the award, so I was one step closer to satisfying that requirement. The DS's gave us a HUGE packet to study and it covered topics we've learned about at BCT, but in far more detail that we learned. We had 2.5 days to cram for our review board while still maintaining our roles as PG's and such. The day of the board came and I was about as prepared as I was going to get. The board consisted of the head DS from each of our companies' 3 platoons and the company 1st Sergeant. We gave a short bio and then the grilling started. Non-stop questions until they were satisfied. If you got an answer wrong, they turned up the pressure by diving deeper into the topic and making you look like an idiot. After about 25 minutes, I was dismissed. I felt semi-confident when I left, just hoping the mistakes I made were overlooked for the most part. When we got back from lunch, the 6 nominees gathered in the 1st Sergeant's office to have the winners announced. To my surprise, they called out my name for Soldier Leader of the Cycle and my buddy from my platoon won Soldier of the Cycle, our platoon's DS's were quite pleased with us. I got promoted from Platoon Guide to Student 1st Sergeant, so I'm the student leader responsible for the whole company now. Any information the DS's want passed along, I'm responsible for. So if I mess up, they promised to make me pay for it. Awesome.

We took our end of cycle APFT and I did well. My overall score was 260/300. I did 52 push-ups, 74 sit-ups, and ran a 13:35 2-mile. 10 points shy of my goal, but it's still a decent score.

The week ended with a US weapons course. Since I'm the Soldier Leader of the Cycle, I got to shoot the AT-4. It's a $10,000 anti-tank, shoulder-fired rocket. It was the coolest thing I've done here at basic. I sank the round straight into the side of an armored personnel carrier and was rewarded with a huge explosion and shrapnel flying in the air... And I thought the grenades were cool... So thank you US tax payers for allowing me the amazing opportunity to demonstrate that weapon system for the soldiers I'm training with. Then we got 150 rounds of ammo for the machine guns... 50 for the M249 and 100 for the M240B, and after that we shot 2 dummy rounds from the M203 (The Noob Tube for all the Call of Duty players.) (Wifey note: Really? Call of Duty?) Talk about a good day. It's days like this I'm so glad I signed the contract.

The weather is getting cold and lousy. Just in time for our field training exercise all next week. One more week of training, a few admin days, Family Day, graduation, and a flight home. Almost there.