Today was a combination of death by PowerPoint and killing us in the field. In other words, an all around great day (sarcasm).
This is most of what we did the in the field... hurry up and wait
Reveille was at 0430 this morning, which gave us an hour and a half for “hygiene” (going to the bathroom, getting into uniform, etc), eating an MRE breakfast, and getting into full gear to get into formation at 0630, to be marched over to the theater for seven hours of PowerPoint lectures (not an exaggeration). The first three hours were so incredibly boring that I had to stand up in the back to stay awake, all while holding an M-16 and wondering how I was going to survive in the field, because I was already sore from marching over to the theater in gear.
Anyway, after those seven hours of lecture, we had an MRE lunch outside the theater before getting back into gear (while some sergeant in the Air Force yelled at us to hurry up) and then hauling ourselves into the back of a five-ton transport to make our way to the field site for all sorts of funness.
Anyway, after those seven hours of lecture, we had an MRE lunch outside the theater before getting back into gear (while some sergeant in the Air Force yelled at us to hurry up) and then hauling ourselves into the back of a five-ton transport to make our way to the field site for all sorts of funness.
Always fun to be had in the 5-ton...We started with litter carries, buddy carries, and learning how to load up an ambulance (which aren't really used, because they're not armored). I really don't know what the point was; in combat, the litter teams aren't even medics—they're cooks, mechanics, etc; soldiers who aren't trained to treat. So if a doctor is ever required to go out to where bullets are flying to carry a litter, something seriously wrong has happened, and we're all about to die. But I did successfully lift 2LT Kuyt (Army nurse; the lightest in our squad, although she was probably 150 or so with all her gear) up into a fireman's carry.
The guys practicing a two-man carry
After that we marched over, while holding our fake M-16's in the ready position, to a shed where they had stations set up to demonstrate the things that medics had in their packs. Again, not really useful for doctors and nurses.
Our last station, after being yelled at by more sergeants and corpsmen to hurry as we marched around the field in gear with our weapons, was weapons familiarization, where they showed us how to dissemble and reassemble M-16's and M-9's. In other words, nothing I didn't learn four years ago. Then we got into chemical protective gear, took it off, loaded our stuff back on, and got back into the five ton transport to go back to the cantonment area. By the end, we were all very frustrated with all the activities, as well as the fact that they treated us like basic trainees the entire time. Someone is going to snap tomorrow. I just hope it's not me.
Our last station, after being yelled at by more sergeants and corpsmen to hurry as we marched around the field in gear with our weapons, was weapons familiarization, where they showed us how to dissemble and reassemble M-16's and M-9's. In other words, nothing I didn't learn four years ago. Then we got into chemical protective gear, took it off, loaded our stuff back on, and got back into the five ton transport to go back to the cantonment area. By the end, we were all very frustrated with all the activities, as well as the fact that they treated us like basic trainees the entire time. Someone is going to snap tomorrow. I just hope it's not me.
2nd Platoon, 2nd Squad, AKA "G-Row"
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