After being dead tired from day one, nothing on day two could possibly break my spirit. I wake up at 0445. We do physical training (PT) for one hour. In the innate style that is the 101st Airborne Division, we do 101 (or more) of each exercise. We form up for the first formation of the day and they spread us out and then run us through stretches before we begin to exercise. There are instructors in front of us and some behind us. This doesn't bode well.
The first black hat has us do 101 overhead arm claps (pretty much their favorite). He then has us do an "about face," or "turn around" for you civilians. Oh look! Another black hat ready to go. Next exercise: flutter kicks (a close second favorite, and the bane of my existence). I hate flutter kicks. Flutter kicks and ruck marching. And I would ruck march to Miami rather than do flutter kicks all day. We stop after the magic number and we get about 10 seconds to drink water. Then we turn around again. See a pattern here? Another black hat, another exercise. For an hour. Arms, shoulders, thighs...all rubber. Once we finish and are released, I have to find somewhere to shower.Plan A: Go home, shower/change/eat
-takes too long for travel....probably won't get food (I like food!)
Plan B: Go to work and use shower
-have to split time with lots of others using two showers....
Plan C: Go to the pool and use shower there
-close, many showers, not many people so early
Obviously, plan C was the way to go, and throughout the course, I used this option as much as possible.
Clean and happy, just sore I return for the second day of classes.
About lunch time, the black hats inform us that the orientation Blackhawk (UH-60L) flight has been cancelled due to weather, so we will be released early today. Awesome!
Before we leave, they go over hand and arm signals necessary to bring in a helicopter and tell it to land, take off, drop sling load, etc. Oh, by the way, there is a hands-on test tomorrow over 10 of the 16 hand and arm signals. That we have to pass or fail out of the course. We were shown once. One time. Uno.
Some of us get together with a Captain that graduated in the last class to help us study. We actually stood in a circle around him, closed our eyes, and had him call out the hand and arm signals for us to perform, which is how the test will be conducted as well. He would critique us and throw curve balls at us ("take off to the 6 o'clock", which is not a real signal...a helicopter never takes off backwards). It helped immensely.
After I left, I changed and then went to O'Charley's for dinner. I needed a good steak to replenish some energy, and I took the time to study. I must have looked like a crazy person repeating how much a UH-60L can lift (9,000lbs) or what the OH-58 is primarily used for (observation and close air support). Even practicing hand and arm signals, not full on in the aisle, but still in the booth. Either way, the steak was great. Test first thing tomorrow.
Day 3
0400 wake up.
We start the test about 0600 or so. It's multiple choice, and with all the studying I did, surprisingly easy. It actually worried me how quickly I seemed to finish. After you finish, you can go fill your canteen and go to the bathroom and then come back and put your head down on the table. Don't fall asleep! Put your head down, close your eyes, but don't fall asleep. Not easy.
Next we move out in groups of about 6 students to one instructor for the hands on hand and arm signals test. The black had goes through ten of them, and sure enough, "takeoff to the 6 o'clock" comes up. You have to just stand there and not move at all. I max the test! Positive five points for me.
By now, it's about 1000 or so, and we're starving. There's supposed to be MREs there for us for lunch, but somehow there was a mix-up and there are none. Grumbling begins. Note here that 98% of the class is college junior ROTC cadets.
It's hot now. About 94 and high humidity, of course. We move up to where the black hats have sling loads set out for training and so we can closely examine them to see what "right" looks like. Our next two tests are the paper sling load test and the dreaded hands on sling load test. The paper is the standard multiple choice test, but the hands on is madness. You have a pre-staged load; a HMMWV, fuel blivets, A22 cargo bag, or the cargo net. On each load, you have two minutes to find four deficiencies. Imagine your car strapped up, taped up, and tied up; both interior and exterior, and you have to ensure that every single aspect is correct. In two minutes. More on that later.
During this move to the sling load area, we didn't drop our gear and get set in formation quick enough. By we, I mean the cadets. I try really hard not to think less of them, as I was one of them not all that long ago, but by day freaking three they are starting to wear on me. There is a sense of entitlement and no sense of urgency. Back to formation. Even as the black hats start to count down from ten, students still aren't ready. It's not hard. Drop your stuff, make it dress right dress (in a row, all the same) and stand at attention. Even when the black hat hits zero, people (cadets) are still moving. Here's a hint. Regardless of what your gear looks like, when the instructor hits "zero", STOP MOVING. Be at attention and don't move. Don't blink. Hold your breath. Why would you draw attention to yourself? Chances are, they won't even see your gear unless you're in the first row. Of course, the black hat in charge is not happy. Pissed is probably more accurate. Flaming rage of Hades himself after you hooked up with his daughter in his prize chariot. He tells us to run around the 400 yard track (in a nice calm voice), and that you don't want to come back last.
Now, we have to carry the stupid one quart canteen in the leg pocket of our pants, so as we take off, it just serves to slam continuously against your thigh. So as our stampede heads around the track, I don't try to be first, just not last. Did I mention it's flippin' hot and humid and we're running in boots and full uniform? This sucks. Not to mention I had just drank half a canteen and now it is sloshing uncomfortably in my stomach. We get back to our gear and attempt to fall in. I say attempt because, unfathomably, people still can't seem to just get in place and stop moving. I can't explain how easy this is or how much I wanted to strangle some people. Not to worry, the countdown begins again. 10...9...8...
*Sigh* Did we not learn our lesson? We don't make it. The instructor kindly asks us to do another lap. And make sure we are yelling "Air Assault" every time our left foot hits the ground. That is not easy when you're struggling for breath, and every breath is loaded with humidity. Again, don't be last, and again, the canteen slams dents into my leg. If anyone saw my leg later, they probably would think I owe someone money and they took a bat to my knee. Oh, the blisters people had from the ruck march are screaming now, if not already burst.
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| Slung fuel blivets |
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| Slung HMMWV |
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| A22 Cargo Bag |
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| Cargo Net |
Luckily, not much else happens except some hands on training for each sling load we will be tested on. When we get back, I have the cadets huddle up and do my best give a quick counseling. Basically, it covered two things. One, use some common sense. Understand the intent and reach that every time, for example, formations. Two, don't complain. So there wasn't one MRE this morning. Why would you go running to an instructor and complain? In battle and in life, you don't always get what you want. You function with what you have. Plus, the leadership of the class (me being one of them) had already asked! When you complain in a school like that, it only serves to make life more difficult. The instructor isn't going to go, "oh, I'm sorry, let me get that for you", he's going to go "oh, I'm sorry, let me show you what REALLY sucks" and then proceed to smoke everyone and STILL not give you food. I don't know if they listened or not.
Either way, the day's over.
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