Camp Lejeune
15:10
T20 - Swim Qual
T20 is one of those days I wake up and scream "yay" mentally. It's the 20th day of training. It's really no big deal; there are like 60 days of training or something, but it's a milestone for me.
Qualifying 2nd class only involves two things. I have to swim the entire length of the pool with a helmet, flack jacket, and rifle, but no pack. This means I'm heavier and I have no flotation device. I'm not sure if I had to do this with my feet out in front of me like before, but I don't think I did. By the time I get to the end, I'm exhausted and it takes the added assistance of the designated helper recruits to pull me out.
The other thing we have to do is swim about half the length of the pool while pulling another recruit who's wearing a "main pack." After that he has to pull me back the other way. This ends up not being too hard for me because I just use the other guy as a flotation device. The whole time I'm pushing him down to keep myself up (which might be defeating the purpose) and his face is almost underwater, but we make it. I remember who I did it with, but I can't remember his name. He's one of Fletcher's best friends through the experience and I believe he's actually from San Diego.
That ends Swim Qual. It goes by fast and it's easy. I did the best I could, which was THE best possible: 2nd Class. It's not that much of an accomplishment really, but there are people who only get 3rd or 4th class. In my opinion that's actually kind of pathetic. The required tasks to perform are so simple; they're not scary like they may sound.
T21 - Confidence Course 2
The matrix I'm using as a reference shows today as being Pugil Sticks III, but we didn't do that until 3rd phase, and I know we did the second part of the confidence course during 1st phase.
The first time we do the confidence course, it's the low, easy obstacles. The second time we do it, it's the obstacles that make me want to crap my pants. I'm afraid of heights and some of these things are like thirty feet high. That doesn't sound like much, but when you're afraid of heights and you get to the top and look down...
Well, the whole thing starts off on the wrong foot from the beginning. We split up into groups of maybe twenty, and my group gets screamed at by SSgt. Green (1068's SDI) from the very beginning. He seems like he's in a pretty irritable mood.
SSgt. Freeman (1068's J hat) was making us "in place double time" and I guess I half ass it because SSgt. Green calls ME out specifically.
"Destroy him!" he says to SSgt. Freeman.
SSgt. Freeman proceeds to "destroy" me for about 45 seconds. I makes me hold out a rubber rifle (arms parallel to the deck), run in place, and war cry at the top of my lunges. The whole time he's also telling me to bring my knees up to the rifle and touch it, but also to keep my arms parallel to the deck. This is impossible for anyone who doesn't have unlimited energy, so it just goes on until my group moves on. The first obstacle we're at (there are three) is the stairway to heaven. This is all going on while we're waiting behind another group to climb up it. The stairway to heaven is a gigantic ladder made out of wood and as you reach the top, the steps get farther apart. Thankfully I end up not having to do it because PMSing SSgt. Green kicks our group off of it and none of us do it. If you can't visualize this obstacle, think of Full Metal Jackey. Pyle barely climbs over the top as Joker sits at the top and motivates him.
The next obstacle is the A-Frame. The A-Frame almost made me piss myself.
It involves climbing a rope (which I can barely do), grabbing onto a log and pulling yourself on top of the obstacle. Then you run (or walk as I did) across these logs for ten feet or so. Between the logs is about eight inches of space, so the whole time I'm looking down maybe twenty five feet at these rubber wood-chip things. Not to mention I thought I was going to die when I tried to get off the rope and initially pull myself up. It actually took an adrenaline rush because I was sure I was going to fall off.
When you walk across the logs, you encounter SSgt. Morales (1066's SDI) who tells you to "move!" "hurry up!" "what're you doing!" and you walk over to the actual A-shaped ladder. You climb this ladder which takes you even higher. It's leaning out over dead space at maybe a 70 degree angle and it's got a rope hanging off of it.
If you're me, you're hyperventelating at this point, and Clark, one of your platoon-mates, is trying to calm you down from the other side of the obstacle. There are two lanes on it for two people to do it at once.
Now you have to reach out over a possibly 30 foot drop and grab a rope. Once you work up the courage to actually only hold onto the wooden obstacle with one hand and hold the rope with the other hand, you have to grab the rope with your other hand while maintaining your footing. Step 2? Push yourself off and swing back and forth 30 feet from the ground.
When you finish soiling yourself you start lowering yourself down, hand over hand. If you slide, you skin your hands, and you go to MRP for a month probably.
I hit the ground and take a deep breath. I don't think I breathed the entire time I moved down the last rope.
The next obstacle? "The Slide for Life"
Hm, slide for your life...does that mean I'm going to die if I don't slide?
This obstacle marks my second encounter with Staff Sergeant Green.
This obstacle involves climbing down a rubber rope head first, and not hanging from it. It's at maybe a 30 degree angle, and it's kind of scary. What I mean by not hanging is that you are on top of the rope, using your feet and legs to kind of balance yourself. There's a net under you in case you fall, which is a little more reassuring than the stairway to heaven, which just has a mat underneath.
About a third of the way down I'm told to change position on the rope. I swing my legs down and back up so I'm hanging on the rope, but my feet are going first now. After maybe six feet I'm told to go to a hanging position. When I drop my feet, they hit the edge of the net.
SSgt Green watching me from the side of the swimming pool below: "Oh, good, you wanna touch the net? POA now."
Me: Utter disbelief. I'd been doing so well. I'm mastering this obstacle. No way. I'm not dropping off the rope into the water. Look, SSgt. Arzola is right next to him. Maybe he'll negate what SSgt. Green says and tell me to finish the obstacle. I wait on the rope, hanging by my hands staring at them like a fool.
SSgt. Green: "POSITION...OF...ATTENTION...NOW!"
Me: Oh well. He pretty much made everyone else from 1067 drop off the rope anyway.
I go to position of attention in mid-air. Legs straight, feet at a 45 degree angle pointing outward. Arms locked at my sides, elbows tight to my waist. Hands in a fist against my trouser seam.
I sail through the air like this maybe eight feet into the water.
My boots are wet for the rest of the day, even after being aired out in the squadbay while I take a shower with everyone else SSgt. Green stopped from finishing the obstacle.
Here is a Google Maps picture of each of the obstacles. Kind of hard to see them, but you can see the shadows.
Stairway to Heaven
A-Frame
Slide for Life
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