A few weeks ago we began our first week of navigation's. We started by learning map reading, and the basic terrain features. From there we moved on to actually seeing the features in the field an then we moved onto doing actual navigation's on our own.
In the states soldiers are taught how to read a map, find where you are on the map and to polt their points and move from place to place via the map. In Israel we learn to do the same only with no map. Each soldier learns how to build a route an then how to memorize the route. This metho is actually far superior for one reason, you really learn the terrain and field so the actual navigation its self feels like you have already done it. Because I know I will have no map our path map to guide me I learn the terrain own to her smallest details, the boundaries of my area and the features which will help me identify I have arrived at each of my locations. By the time one reaches the field to perform the navigation you feel like you have already done the who navigation and all that remains is to walk it. This method is also far more operationally effective. Because soldiers are able to operate maps they can be sent with out them to minimize loss of sensitive data should the team fall into enemy hands, and it also means the team is far more flexible as they are capable of self adjusting with out having to consult a map because they are already familiar with the entire area.
Over the course of my training I will have another 12 weeks of navigation. In the coming weeks we will kove to exclusively night navigation's, and to eventually doing all navigation's alone. As the weeks go on we will also see an increase in weight with weights approaching 60 kilos or 130 pounds. My body weight is just below 170 pounds. This means over 75% of my body weight will be going along with me for over 30-40 kilometers. They say our physical limit is far beyond what we believe it to be, and these navigation's seem to me a great way of proving to me this will be true.
The bright sie of all these navigation's is I will essentaily see all of Israel, all of it. Except for Tel Aviv perhaps because there is just not enough open land there to navigate. From the mountains over looking eilat, to the moutains separating Israel from Lebanon I will walk every inch of it. I will familiarize my self with every rock and tree. I will learn here curves and swells the way a husband learns his wife. I will learn to love this land by walking her every inch, and seeing her every beauty. They will be no secret place I will not see, and there will be no inch i will not tread. To me this is the beauty of all our Navigation's. Its the reason why we fight so hard for our land. Its the reason we tell Obama to Fuck off when he tries to tell us what to do in Jerusalem. Its the reason why we have defeated our foes at every advance they have made, and its the reason we will remain here for a long, long , long time to come. We will stay because we are connected, each footstep I will take over theses navigation's will be in the foot prints of my fathers and their, fathers, going back thousands of year. Going back before America came to be, before Christianity's existence, and before Europe was civilized. This is why we will remain and why we can continue to be. This is what Obama and Europe fail to see, we will be here after you are dead and your nation a ruinous waste.
Historians and political scientists often talk of how America nd Europe tend to see the world in very short terms these days while the rest of the world takes a longer view. I believe this to be especially prevalent in Israel. I believe Obama is seriously frustrated with Israel partly because we simply do not take him seriously, at all, period. Israeli's laugh at his serious lack of reality or his lack of all concept of what is really going on in the middle east. The idea those who hate all the West stands for will simply stop hating and killing because Obama extends a hand is so ridiculous only a some one snorting cocaine could buy into it, oh wait, yeah I forgot its Obama. I am often asked by Israeli's questions like "Is Obama crazy or just high?" I believe history will judge Obama very poorly when it comes to his foreign relations. While you may say oh but the world likes us more, well whoop de dah. What makes France happy has nothing to do with what is good for America or her interests. So while I do my next set of navigation's I an take some more hours and think on just how America got to be so Stupid we elected the Dunce of a President we have now. The good news is some one has woken up only 39% of America approves of Obama and dropping. I thank god every day I am in a country run by Bibi, the man served in the best SF unit in Israel and probably the world, He is MIT educated and did not get there or his grades with any help, and he understands the Middle East and the world. Its too bad America does not have a Bibi lying around.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Memorial Day
This past Monday was the Israeli memorial day. The Golani brigade, which I ma a member of, sends two soldiers to each grave of a fallen soldier, no matter how he fell. On Sunday night we had a base wide ceremony to memorialize all the soldiers who have fallen in both the Golani brigade and the IDF as a whole. After placing the flag at half staff the order of the day was published and then several soldiers from Golani were selected out to be memorialized and mixed with poetry, and songs about loss. After the ceremony soldiers being dispatched to graves were informed and I was unfortunately not one of them. So we went to bed.
0420 wake up and 10 minutes to dress and clean up. After we began to clean and pack up our rooms, and it was there my friend approached me. He asked me to take his spot at one of the graves so he could attend a ceremony at his High School he had been asked to attended. His grave site was located in Netanya, and I agreed. When I came back to my squad and mentioned what happened one of my squad members asked to switch with me as he lived near Netanyah, so I was no heading to Herzaliyah. Now as we formed up top leave and were told the bus divisions, they also asked for 2 volunteers for graves on Har Hertzel in Jerusalem. My friend in my tzevet volunteered and I switched, yet again, with him as he lived closer to Herzaliyah than Jerusalem. So while at 0430 I was not assigned any grave at 0600 I had switched 3 times.
At 0630 we headed out by bus to Har Hertzel, the Israeli military cemetery located in central Jerusalem. at 0830 we arrived and me and the soldier going with me found the assigned grave. We then went found a bakery eat our fisrst food of the day and at 0900 we headed back. At 0930 we were back at the grave, sleeves down and beret on the head. There we met the family who had arrived by then as well and introduced ourselves as well. We remained at the grave side with the family till the ceremony began at 1050. At 1050 the ceremony began and at 1100 the siren went off all across Israel. When the siren goes of in Israel, it goes off across all of Israel and everything stops. Traffic, pedestrians, stores, and life as a whole, and everyone stands in a minute of silent.
It is real moving to stand with a mourning family on memorial day in our nation. In Israel there is practicaly no one who does not know some one who has fallen in defense of the nation. I being a new citizen do not personally know someone, so it felt really good do do my part in honoring those who have fallen.
0420 wake up and 10 minutes to dress and clean up. After we began to clean and pack up our rooms, and it was there my friend approached me. He asked me to take his spot at one of the graves so he could attend a ceremony at his High School he had been asked to attended. His grave site was located in Netanya, and I agreed. When I came back to my squad and mentioned what happened one of my squad members asked to switch with me as he lived near Netanyah, so I was no heading to Herzaliyah. Now as we formed up top leave and were told the bus divisions, they also asked for 2 volunteers for graves on Har Hertzel in Jerusalem. My friend in my tzevet volunteered and I switched, yet again, with him as he lived closer to Herzaliyah than Jerusalem. So while at 0430 I was not assigned any grave at 0600 I had switched 3 times.
At 0630 we headed out by bus to Har Hertzel, the Israeli military cemetery located in central Jerusalem. at 0830 we arrived and me and the soldier going with me found the assigned grave. We then went found a bakery eat our fisrst food of the day and at 0900 we headed back. At 0930 we were back at the grave, sleeves down and beret on the head. There we met the family who had arrived by then as well and introduced ourselves as well. We remained at the grave side with the family till the ceremony began at 1050. At 1050 the ceremony began and at 1100 the siren went off all across Israel. When the siren goes of in Israel, it goes off across all of Israel and everything stops. Traffic, pedestrians, stores, and life as a whole, and everyone stands in a minute of silent.
It is real moving to stand with a mourning family on memorial day in our nation. In Israel there is practicaly no one who does not know some one who has fallen in defense of the nation. I being a new citizen do not personally know someone, so it felt really good do do my part in honoring those who have fallen.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A week of Action
Since I last was let out of the army 3 weeks have passed, and I can say some of the most influencial weeks of my army career to date. A week and a half ago we had our Infantry level 05 certification test. 05 certification means we are a basically trained Infatry man, with a basic level of combat fitness and a basic grasp of the weapons systems, as well as how to treat wounded, operate a radio, and react to a NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) attack.
The Test opens with the Bochan Maslul, a grueling obstacle course run in full combat uniform, helmet on the head, and a full infantry vest and rifle. The Course opens with a 600 meter run, and as one finishes the run you get to the obstacles themselves. The first obstacle is the wall, and after that there are parallel bars, monkey bars, a rope, crawling, balance beams, and more. The obstacle finish with a 10 meter crawl an then you have a 500 meter dash to the finish. The last 200 meters or so are also up hill. Total the course is 1500 meters and no easy feat. To pass it for a rating of 05 one needs to run it in under 11:00, for 07 rating (which we will have after advanced training) we will need to run a 10:30, for the unit requirements and to move on the the SF basic training we must run under a 9:30. In practices till this point I had run at best a 9:20, but on that morning I opened up with a hard sprint and put my guts into it and finished with a solid 8:29. I can honestly say at West Point we had the IOCT, and I would rather run the IOCT any day then the Bochan Maslul. From there we went to the testing on Infatry skills, and weapons systems. At each station here I received a 100%. Last wasthe shooting test. The test opens witha 200 meter sprint then one turns around, crawls 10 meters, runs 190 meters back to the rnage and enters the range. In the range one removes the empty magazine in his weapon, places in one with 6 round and then shoots at a target 40 meters away. One shoots 3 in the kneeling position, and 3 in the prone position. I do not know the results on this test yet but I know the 3 I shot prone all hit and to pass is 4/6 so I am not to worried.
From this point on in my post I must inform you due to security concerns I am going to have to leave out or alter information.
After taking our certification tests the entire Plugah (Company) packed up and went to the Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria) to guard settelments. The group of soldiers I was placed with was assigned to guard a string of small hilltop settlements just above and south of Shchem (Nablus). We arrived Thursday afternoon and we were familiarized with the area. We had to static guard positions. One we will call A5 and the Second A8. We also conducted a night time patrol in one of the settlements and this we will call Patrol A. My first guard duty was on Patrol A from 2000 to 0100. I had the radio in my vest, which sucks because the radio weighs 20 pounds, and over the radio 10 minutes into my guard shift I hear one of the tazpitot (girls who watch the cameras placed in the area and report movement or activity) report in she has two terrorists en route to the settlements. A vehicular patrol responded ASAP, and the terrorists saw we were ready and got clean away.
Then Friday while guarding for 2 hours at A5 I once again had one of the tazpitot gets on the radio and tells me two Arabs just entered the Wadi right below me and are heading up towards me. She also sends in a patrol and before the Arabs can get to me they are headed off, and driven off by the patrol. The rest of the guard shift passes in peace but that evening a meter and a half long pipe bomb is found and disposed of at the main junction outside the settlements. Then at 2000 on friday night we had an attempted attack on one of the settlements. While a different group of soldiers, also from my tzevet, were on patrol at the very last settlement they spotted 2 men in the kneeling position 25 meters from the last house. So they began the process of engaging an unknown and suspicious person. Frist they called out to him and then they charged their weapons, and then they shot in the air. By this point the men had not responded and it was obvious their intentions were less than noble so we opened up on them aiming fr the legs first. We missed and they began to flee as fast as possible. The army sent out patrols to find them but to no avail.
Sunday, a new week and what we hoped would be a quite one. At about 1130 with only a half hour left on my guard tour at A5 I hear a big commotion on the radio. At a junction 2k from my position 2 terrorists attacked a soldier from the Plugah stationed permanently in the area. One threw a Molotov Cocktail, and the other broke a bottle and attempted to stab the soldier. He shot both dead, and good for him. After this the army raised our alert level from A, meaning unspecific intelligence about a possible terror attack, to B meaning specific intelligence an attack will occur. We were in this status till Monday night. Monday night one of our guys starts his guard shift at A8 with the sun setting. With him mounted on his weapon is a night vision piece which goes directly behind his preexisting scope and lets him aim accurately at night. However, when he had gone to start his guard shift he had fialed to check if there was a battery and there was not. So when the sun set 15 minutes in to his guard shift he began to fiddle with the piece trying to get it to work, not realizing he had no battery. then all of a sudden he hears a noise in the bushes. He screams out "Mi zeh!" ("Who is it?") the noise persists so he screams it again and charges his weapon. The noise is a mere 10 meters from him, and 10 meters from the first house. So my friend immediately fires in the air and gets on the radio and starts to scream, "Hakpatzah A8! Hakpatzah A8!" meaning "alert at A8!" He then fires another round into the air and still no response, so my friend gets on the radio again and calls in the situation again. But while on the radio he still has his weapon aimed at the area of the sound and since the night vision piece is blocking his sight, and the night vision piece does not work he shoots from the hip into the bush. Out pops the terrorist and he begins to run like a mad man in the other direction. 10 seconds later the army starts to show up and begins to chase after him, they begin to launch light grenades into the air and begin search patterns. Unfortunatly he got away.
Finally we got to Wednesday night, our last night of guard duty and I have A5 from 2200 to 0200. Other than it being chilly all is well at first, but then at about 0000 in rolls some fog, and then more, and then more, and then more. Soon the whole valley is blocked out, and soon we cant see more than a meter. Even with our night vision scopes we can only see about 5 meters. I was really scared now, 300 meters below me is a village from which 42 suicide bombers have come, and their population is not even 2000 people. They hold the record in Israel for the most suicide bombers from one place. This is below me, we are in alert level B still and I cant see 5 meters. The next 2 hours were the quietest and msot tense of all my guard shifts. I spent most of my time in the kneeling position straining my ears to try and hear what my eyes could not see.
In the end of the day this week taught me an enormous amount. For one if any one ever tells you "oh who needs to be combat anyways?" tell them you do because with out combat soldiers standing guard at night we would have had 3 terror attacks in just our area alone. After the week we went through not one person in our tzevet had a single doubt on why were where we are or why we need to be there. I also must note the amount of action we had in our week was not normal, it was the most action they have had in the area in 3 years. The reason we had a lot of this action I can honestly say is because of Obama. Today Obama has succeed in destroying the peace process. While before he became president the Palestinians would sit at the table with us, today they wont even sit at the smae table with us. The fact they are acting like children aside, Obama has essentially given them reason to think if they too pressure us they can get more out of us. Sorry Charley it does not work that way. Obama may be stupid, but Israelis are not. Obama will be gone soon and if next President ,hopefully, will see his friends lie in democratic states like Israel not terrorist regimes like Syria. But hey I was not the moron who elected him, I am just the one who has to deal with him incompetence. Thank you left wing Jews, especially Emanuel. As a side note he attempted to do his sons bar mitzvah in Israel but was boycotted by the Israeli venues, take that traitor. Sorry for the politics here, but it is a part of the reality connected to my work, a reality I am not sure Obama realizes. Maybe I should get him to read my blog?
The Test opens with the Bochan Maslul, a grueling obstacle course run in full combat uniform, helmet on the head, and a full infantry vest and rifle. The Course opens with a 600 meter run, and as one finishes the run you get to the obstacles themselves. The first obstacle is the wall, and after that there are parallel bars, monkey bars, a rope, crawling, balance beams, and more. The obstacle finish with a 10 meter crawl an then you have a 500 meter dash to the finish. The last 200 meters or so are also up hill. Total the course is 1500 meters and no easy feat. To pass it for a rating of 05 one needs to run it in under 11:00, for 07 rating (which we will have after advanced training) we will need to run a 10:30, for the unit requirements and to move on the the SF basic training we must run under a 9:30. In practices till this point I had run at best a 9:20, but on that morning I opened up with a hard sprint and put my guts into it and finished with a solid 8:29. I can honestly say at West Point we had the IOCT, and I would rather run the IOCT any day then the Bochan Maslul. From there we went to the testing on Infatry skills, and weapons systems. At each station here I received a 100%. Last wasthe shooting test. The test opens witha 200 meter sprint then one turns around, crawls 10 meters, runs 190 meters back to the rnage and enters the range. In the range one removes the empty magazine in his weapon, places in one with 6 round and then shoots at a target 40 meters away. One shoots 3 in the kneeling position, and 3 in the prone position. I do not know the results on this test yet but I know the 3 I shot prone all hit and to pass is 4/6 so I am not to worried.
From this point on in my post I must inform you due to security concerns I am going to have to leave out or alter information.
After taking our certification tests the entire Plugah (Company) packed up and went to the Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria) to guard settelments. The group of soldiers I was placed with was assigned to guard a string of small hilltop settlements just above and south of Shchem (Nablus). We arrived Thursday afternoon and we were familiarized with the area. We had to static guard positions. One we will call A5 and the Second A8. We also conducted a night time patrol in one of the settlements and this we will call Patrol A. My first guard duty was on Patrol A from 2000 to 0100. I had the radio in my vest, which sucks because the radio weighs 20 pounds, and over the radio 10 minutes into my guard shift I hear one of the tazpitot (girls who watch the cameras placed in the area and report movement or activity) report in she has two terrorists en route to the settlements. A vehicular patrol responded ASAP, and the terrorists saw we were ready and got clean away.
Then Friday while guarding for 2 hours at A5 I once again had one of the tazpitot gets on the radio and tells me two Arabs just entered the Wadi right below me and are heading up towards me. She also sends in a patrol and before the Arabs can get to me they are headed off, and driven off by the patrol. The rest of the guard shift passes in peace but that evening a meter and a half long pipe bomb is found and disposed of at the main junction outside the settlements. Then at 2000 on friday night we had an attempted attack on one of the settlements. While a different group of soldiers, also from my tzevet, were on patrol at the very last settlement they spotted 2 men in the kneeling position 25 meters from the last house. So they began the process of engaging an unknown and suspicious person. Frist they called out to him and then they charged their weapons, and then they shot in the air. By this point the men had not responded and it was obvious their intentions were less than noble so we opened up on them aiming fr the legs first. We missed and they began to flee as fast as possible. The army sent out patrols to find them but to no avail.
Sunday, a new week and what we hoped would be a quite one. At about 1130 with only a half hour left on my guard tour at A5 I hear a big commotion on the radio. At a junction 2k from my position 2 terrorists attacked a soldier from the Plugah stationed permanently in the area. One threw a Molotov Cocktail, and the other broke a bottle and attempted to stab the soldier. He shot both dead, and good for him. After this the army raised our alert level from A, meaning unspecific intelligence about a possible terror attack, to B meaning specific intelligence an attack will occur. We were in this status till Monday night. Monday night one of our guys starts his guard shift at A8 with the sun setting. With him mounted on his weapon is a night vision piece which goes directly behind his preexisting scope and lets him aim accurately at night. However, when he had gone to start his guard shift he had fialed to check if there was a battery and there was not. So when the sun set 15 minutes in to his guard shift he began to fiddle with the piece trying to get it to work, not realizing he had no battery. then all of a sudden he hears a noise in the bushes. He screams out "Mi zeh!" ("Who is it?") the noise persists so he screams it again and charges his weapon. The noise is a mere 10 meters from him, and 10 meters from the first house. So my friend immediately fires in the air and gets on the radio and starts to scream, "Hakpatzah A8! Hakpatzah A8!" meaning "alert at A8!" He then fires another round into the air and still no response, so my friend gets on the radio again and calls in the situation again. But while on the radio he still has his weapon aimed at the area of the sound and since the night vision piece is blocking his sight, and the night vision piece does not work he shoots from the hip into the bush. Out pops the terrorist and he begins to run like a mad man in the other direction. 10 seconds later the army starts to show up and begins to chase after him, they begin to launch light grenades into the air and begin search patterns. Unfortunatly he got away.
Finally we got to Wednesday night, our last night of guard duty and I have A5 from 2200 to 0200. Other than it being chilly all is well at first, but then at about 0000 in rolls some fog, and then more, and then more, and then more. Soon the whole valley is blocked out, and soon we cant see more than a meter. Even with our night vision scopes we can only see about 5 meters. I was really scared now, 300 meters below me is a village from which 42 suicide bombers have come, and their population is not even 2000 people. They hold the record in Israel for the most suicide bombers from one place. This is below me, we are in alert level B still and I cant see 5 meters. The next 2 hours were the quietest and msot tense of all my guard shifts. I spent most of my time in the kneeling position straining my ears to try and hear what my eyes could not see.
In the end of the day this week taught me an enormous amount. For one if any one ever tells you "oh who needs to be combat anyways?" tell them you do because with out combat soldiers standing guard at night we would have had 3 terror attacks in just our area alone. After the week we went through not one person in our tzevet had a single doubt on why were where we are or why we need to be there. I also must note the amount of action we had in our week was not normal, it was the most action they have had in the area in 3 years. The reason we had a lot of this action I can honestly say is because of Obama. Today Obama has succeed in destroying the peace process. While before he became president the Palestinians would sit at the table with us, today they wont even sit at the smae table with us. The fact they are acting like children aside, Obama has essentially given them reason to think if they too pressure us they can get more out of us. Sorry Charley it does not work that way. Obama may be stupid, but Israelis are not. Obama will be gone soon and if next President ,hopefully, will see his friends lie in democratic states like Israel not terrorist regimes like Syria. But hey I was not the moron who elected him, I am just the one who has to deal with him incompetence. Thank you left wing Jews, especially Emanuel. As a side note he attempted to do his sons bar mitzvah in Israel but was boycotted by the Israeli venues, take that traitor. Sorry for the politics here, but it is a part of the reality connected to my work, a reality I am not sure Obama realizes. Maybe I should get him to read my blog?
Saturday, March 6, 2010
One step up
This past week we were in education week, a week i am almost certain is exclusive to the IDF. It would be unheard of in the US Army for a combat unit to cease training to spend a week studying their country, morals, ethics, and touring their country and learning their historical connection to the land. But in the IDF this is a common and mandatory week to undergo for all combat soldiers be they active or in training. But this is not what I want to focus on, its what happened this Thursday that I want to focus on.
On Thursday we woke up at 0300 and at 0330 step of for a masa. We opened with 10k at about 4 MPH pace and it was not bad at all. The unfortunate part was it was still to dary to see much scenery but we could tell the view out there was beautiful none the less. Then when we got to the 10k mark we opened up the stretchers. We placed people on them and moved out. From here on out it was uphill, all up hill. We climbed and climbed. Sweating, grunting, and trying to motivate one another to take just a few more steps forward. I got under the stretcher at step off and stayed there for the first kilometer, and when I stepped out I was pretty tired but we were not anywhere near done. I got under the stretcher several more times and we kept our climb. As we climbed more and more the sun too began to rise more and more. As we got higher and higher we began to get enough light to see just how much mountain we had climbed so far. Finally as we got to about the 4k mark our me'm me'm (Platoon leader) turned to us and screamed "almost there!! who wants to be a tzevet?" Everyone instantly began to push for those last 20 meters as we climbed to the sumit of the mountain, everyone screaming, pushing, and pulling those stretchers the final few kilometers to the finish.
At the submit awaiting us was a sign burning in flames on which was written "tzevet natan." Here I am now going to have to explain the significance of this word "tzevet." Its a Hebrew word meaning, a group or staff. In the army it is a term used for platoon sized elements in special forces units. Now we did not start of being called a tzevet we started of as a machlakah which is Hebrew for a platoon. We were constantly being reminded you are not special now at all, you are just another company in basic training and keep your head down. But when this masa ended this all changed. we are now a tzevet, and were inducted into the sayeret, which is the special forces unit for the brigade. We also broke distance with our squad leaders after the masa and most have left and the rest leave after this upcoming week. from now on we will have squad leaders from with in the tzevet.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
End of Basic
This past week was a full one. We spent the whole week down at the shooting ranges for Advanced Tavor Week. We literally shot from morning through the night for 3 days straight. We practiced shooting from the standing, kneeling, and prone position from a multitude of distances as well. We practiced switching from position to position, to clear jams as quickly as possible and to continue shooting. We practiced on shooting at moving targets, and at shooting on command. We shot at night, during the day, and after stress. We even practiced shooting with our laser to illuminate our targets. I believe I shot around 300-400 rounds in just 3 days.
The week did not start so great though our group at the ranges took a while to get into gear and to bring us up to speed the mifakdim punished us hard. At one point half of us were designated as wounded and the other half had to carry them to the 300m mark of the range and back, I was one of those people carrying. When we did get back we were put in matzav shtayim (the upright push ups position) for 5 minutes. I believe this helped us get into gear though as Monday morning there was a noticeable improvement.
But the most important part of this week was the end of basic training. To this end we had a fitness test. It started with sit ups and I knocked out 86 easily, much easier than I thought. Then came push ups, I was worried going in as last time I had only done 49 but I did the full 76 this time with ease. Then came the run. Here I did not perform as I wanted, but mostly due to me being sick and having my lungs and nasal passages filled with fluids. So I did my best but in the end I only ran a 7:15 which is 4 seconds less than my previous time. So at least I had an improvement.
On Thursday we had the official ceremony for the end of basic and each plugah (company) gave out best soldier awards. I received best soldier for my company and got a big congratulations from my me'm pe'ah (Company Commander). So now we move on to advanced training and all that fun stuff. This week we gurad the base and perform kitchen duty, and because of this we also will be in the army for Purim. Oh well.
The week did not start so great though our group at the ranges took a while to get into gear and to bring us up to speed the mifakdim punished us hard. At one point half of us were designated as wounded and the other half had to carry them to the 300m mark of the range and back, I was one of those people carrying. When we did get back we were put in matzav shtayim (the upright push ups position) for 5 minutes. I believe this helped us get into gear though as Monday morning there was a noticeable improvement.
But the most important part of this week was the end of basic training. To this end we had a fitness test. It started with sit ups and I knocked out 86 easily, much easier than I thought. Then came push ups, I was worried going in as last time I had only done 49 but I did the full 76 this time with ease. Then came the run. Here I did not perform as I wanted, but mostly due to me being sick and having my lungs and nasal passages filled with fluids. So I did my best but in the end I only ran a 7:15 which is 4 seconds less than my previous time. So at least I had an improvement.
On Thursday we had the official ceremony for the end of basic and each plugah (company) gave out best soldier awards. I received best soldier for my company and got a big congratulations from my me'm pe'ah (Company Commander). So now we move on to advanced training and all that fun stuff. This week we gurad the base and perform kitchen duty, and because of this we also will be in the army for Purim. Oh well.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A question I get often is do you enjoy the army or like the army, I would like to answer that question: Yes. The army is an experience one can only experience in one place. when you are standing in full combat gear on the top of the largest hill in the area, knowing you just ran up it, and enjoying the spectacular view you also know no one else is experiencing this or capable. they might be able to stand there too but to know you ran up in full gear, after an exhausting day, and on a very short time alotment makes for a very different moment.
When you look at a blue sky and green, green, grass it does not look the same as when you look through your MARS scope and see the red dot sight over the target with a deep blue sky and green grass background. But when you do a masah the feeling is also different than a simple walk. When you are under a vest, an army backpack, a stretcher loaded full with gear and not allowed to switch out the whole trip is different. We did 3k this way, but this is nothing compared to the 16k+ which we will do just for the right to wear the jump wings.
But at weeks end I got a new toy, a Machpel. Its a scope which is mounted behind my MARS scope and magnifies by 3x. Each team leader received it. This week we will be shooting most of the week so it will be fun to see the difference. The included picture is me with my weapon including the brand new "toy."
Friday, January 29, 2010
Coming together
This week we continued to build our skills as we went from doing a movement as pair and now are at a team. This means I am the central leader here being a team leader. We put things together on several levels we practiced movement from location to location, crossing suspicious or threatening territory, then we set up an observation position and watched the second team conquer the hill, and as they finished they told us we had made contact go. So we began our bounding and cover fire and covered a full 600 meters this way. When this drill was over I can really say I felt what an organic team is in full swing.
We also practiced a squad maneuver where my team was the cover fire, and the second team did a flank maneuver on a hill. But since my mifaked (squad leader) is crazy he chose the hill with an almost 90 degree angle. When we finished the drill he then killed off half the squad and we had to carry them one on one back to camp. But we realized as we went along that we could not safely carry the "wounded" back down the hill with out dropping them on their head so my mifaked permitted them to walk on their own down the hill but then back on our backs they went. Of course we got the last wounded to the collection point 2 seconds late and we had to carry them another 100 meters to a new point which we stood on time for too.
Two weeks ago we did have a very interesting experience though I would like to mention. All the team leaders were together and training as one group. The first night they took us outside the base and we had lots of rain so the ground was extremely muddy. We got there and we had to build two goals and every one was thinking Soccer!! then they took out a stick light and told us this is the "ball" and get in the crawling position. We then played an hour plus of soccer crawling. We lost unfortunately so we had to carry the other team back one on one. The man I had to carry weighed 100 kilos I maybe, maybe weigh 75 kilos, fun stuff.
We also practiced a squad maneuver where my team was the cover fire, and the second team did a flank maneuver on a hill. But since my mifaked (squad leader) is crazy he chose the hill with an almost 90 degree angle. When we finished the drill he then killed off half the squad and we had to carry them one on one back to camp. But we realized as we went along that we could not safely carry the "wounded" back down the hill with out dropping them on their head so my mifaked permitted them to walk on their own down the hill but then back on our backs they went. Of course we got the last wounded to the collection point 2 seconds late and we had to carry them another 100 meters to a new point which we stood on time for too.
Two weeks ago we did have a very interesting experience though I would like to mention. All the team leaders were together and training as one group. The first night they took us outside the base and we had lots of rain so the ground was extremely muddy. We got there and we had to build two goals and every one was thinking Soccer!! then they took out a stick light and told us this is the "ball" and get in the crawling position. We then played an hour plus of soccer crawling. We lost unfortunately so we had to carry the other team back one on one. The man I had to carry weighed 100 kilos I maybe, maybe weigh 75 kilos, fun stuff.
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