Journal Entry: "First Field Training Excercise (FTX)"
We’re already two weeks into this thing. The time is going by faster in AIT. The pace here is so much more demanding than BCT on its hardest day. Most of the time I’m glad of this but there are occasions where I wish it would slow down a bit so I could catch my breath (not to mention catch up on my journaling). But then I think, “To hell with that!” This is Special Operations Command training after all and I wouldn’t want to finish this holding no value of the accomplishment. In fact it would be rather disconcerting if nothing were to present a challenge at this level.
Today we’re on Day #2 of a 3-day FTX (field training exercise) Its basically land navigation again but we’re not playing around this time. We did it for one afternoon in BCT and, like everything else, even a “NO GO” was a “GO”. Here our navigation points are at least 1000m from each other and a “NO GO” means doing it again or washing out. Although I must admit, knowing what I know about how desperate the Army is to fill battle rosters these days, particularly in the Reserve mobilizations, I don’t take the wash-out threats too seriously. We’re doing night navigation as well, which is considerably harder. Counting the ruck march, I estimated we hiked between 20-25 km over the course of yesterday’s activities with at times as much as 70lbs of equipment. Most of the day was spent in the pouring, freezing rain thus adding to the challenge. Naturally, our brand-new Gore-Tex parkas remained in our rucksacks the entire time. We finally put them on only after the rain had completely stopped. (You think I’m kidding?) Its all part of the game called “make the recruits miserable”.
For the most part things are going very well. We have a pretty good group of guys and aside from Drill Sgt. Rose’s occasional raging abuse sessions, the cadre seems to be a decent mostly-well-meaning group. I can tell the other Drill Sergeants respect me enough already to leave me be for the most part, but I think D.S. Rose dislikes me somewhat for the fact that I’m not intimidated by him. People yelling and cursing at me just makes me irritated and a little defiant. Not to worry though, I’m not going to let anyone here get to me enough to do something stupid…but damn, sometimes I wouldn’t mind letting him know what an asshole I think he is. I’ll have to devote an entire entry to this guy’s antics someday. Perhaps in retrospect. ;)
Today we’re on Day #2 of a 3-day FTX (field training exercise) Its basically land navigation again but we’re not playing around this time. We did it for one afternoon in BCT and, like everything else, even a “NO GO” was a “GO”. Here our navigation points are at least 1000m from each other and a “NO GO” means doing it again or washing out. Although I must admit, knowing what I know about how desperate the Army is to fill battle rosters these days, particularly in the Reserve mobilizations, I don’t take the wash-out threats too seriously. We’re doing night navigation as well, which is considerably harder. Counting the ruck march, I estimated we hiked between 20-25 km over the course of yesterday’s activities with at times as much as 70lbs of equipment. Most of the day was spent in the pouring, freezing rain thus adding to the challenge. Naturally, our brand-new Gore-Tex parkas remained in our rucksacks the entire time. We finally put them on only after the rain had completely stopped. (You think I’m kidding?) Its all part of the game called “make the recruits miserable”.
For the most part things are going very well. We have a pretty good group of guys and aside from Drill Sgt. Rose’s occasional raging abuse sessions, the cadre seems to be a decent mostly-well-meaning group. I can tell the other Drill Sergeants respect me enough already to leave me be for the most part, but I think D.S. Rose dislikes me somewhat for the fact that I’m not intimidated by him. People yelling and cursing at me just makes me irritated and a little defiant. Not to worry though, I’m not going to let anyone here get to me enough to do something stupid…but damn, sometimes I wouldn’t mind letting him know what an asshole I think he is. I’ll have to devote an entire entry to this guy’s antics someday. Perhaps in retrospect. ;)
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