WEEK 2 (May 15-21) – Into the Woods

 We started off this week with an RFT (Role Fitness Test). That meant doing a mid-thigh pull (like a stationary deadlift), a medicine ball throw, and a 2 km run. I was happy with my results. We have a Troop Commander, who is the captain in charge of our troop, who is very fit and he attends our PT sessions. So during the 2 km run I was keeping a good pace and noticed he was just ahead of me, about 50 metres maybe. I kept up with him and at the last stretch gave a full sprint and gained on him a little bit but he still had 5 seconds on me. I finished with a 7:25 which I’m pretty sure is my PB for 2 k. My last 2 km best time I recorded was 7:40. So I’m really happy with that but I reckon I can improve that, maybe aim for around 7:00 and catch the captain.  

All throughout this week we were learning Skill at Arms which means a lot of weapon drills to be able to pass our Weapons Handling Assessment this coming week. That basically means doing Normal Safety Precautions, procedures to make sure the weapon is safe, and when it is loaded to make sure that any rounds in the chamber are ejected properly. I feel pretty confident with it so I am sure with a bit more practice that I’ll pass it no problem. 

On Thursday we did a PT session in the wooded area outside of camp. There are a few hills that recruits are made to run up. The first one was Concrete Hill, a fairly long steady incline with a paved surface. Many people struggled going up but we were forced to maintain our ranks of 3 and proceed. Some dropped off towards the back but just about everyone put forth their best effort, as far as I could tell. We had about a minute to recover at the top and take some water, but we didn’t form up quick enough so we had to do 10 press-ups. Then we continued on through the woods and eventually came to the infamous Heartbreak Hill. It’s only maybe 100-150 m but the incline is very steep so it was a struggle for many. The captain threatened that if he caught up to any of us after giving a 40 second head start that we would all have to do it again. He must not have caught up to anyone because we only had to do it once. I made it up fairly quickly but after getting to the top I felt my stomach start complaining subtly. Did I mention our PT session was almost immediately after breakfast? .....

We continued on and came to 10-Second Hill, named that because we had to make it up in 10 seconds or less. I don’t know if anyone actually managed to do that but at the end of this one there were people crying from pain and looking really wrecked. But we continued on. We eventually approached the gate to leave the woods and many people were suffering quite a bit. One recruit cursed, and unfortunately it was within earshot of the PT instructor. He turned us around and made us come to a halt in front of another hill. This one also paved but steeper than the first paved one. He told us to do 10 laps of it and if he heard anyone complaining we would just keep going. But again we were slow in lining up so we had to do 10 press-ups first. He called out for us to go, and I sprinted up leading the pack, licking the heels of the captain. But he didn’t let me pass and on the way down he took off in front. Now I was really feeling queasy. But I lined up again and we waited for everyone to line up again. The PTI called out for us to go again and I ran up along with everyone else, yelling at the top of my lungs “KEEP GOING! ALMOST THERE! PUSH PUSH PUSH!” I don’t know if I was supposed to be doing that since that's normally the PTIs' job, but maybe I was yelling so loud they thought I was one of them. Some people told me after though that me yelling made them get up the hill faster. 

By the top of the hill I was out of breath and couldn’t yell anymore. I touched the tree and turned around and almost immediately started retching. Stomach really wasn’t happy now and Breakfast was about to get evicted. I made it down the hill but went off to the side where I puked a lot of times, maybe 10 times, until everything in my stomach was gone. I think other people were sick as well and one recruit told me afterwards that the sound of me being sick made him sick as well. After that, however, I felt a lot better and was able to finish the run. We didn’t have to finish the 10 laps of the hill. I’m not sure if it was because the PTI took pity on us (not likely) but maybe it was a change in our attitude, having been humbled. Or he saw how some of us were hunched over on the sides vomiting our guts out. Or simply because he thought we were at risk of dehydration.  

We started running back towards the block. I ran with some from my section who were at the back and struggling. I encouraged them and told them to keep the pace and keep moving. One had already been sick and at the moment his calf was cramping up. Another was also dropping off behind and the PTIs were there at our heels so I was trying to get her to keep up with us since we were almost at the end and so she wouldn't get snapped up and spit out by the PTIs. We all made it back alive however and had a stretching session. That was probably one of the most interesting experiences of the week.  

On Friday we had our first exercise: Ice Breaker. An exercise is where we go out into the field and learn different aspects of fieldcraft. In this case it was the experience of packing a bergen (a large backpack stuffed with everything you would need in the field) and then setting up a lean-to with a poncho/tarp bungeed between two trees. Underneath we set up our sleeping bags (2 people under each) and stored our equipment. We were supplied a small cooktop with fuel to heat up our rations. The rations aren’t bad, they’re actually quite tasty—I had one that was like a burrito filling. Also had a packet of biscuits and some hot chocolate. Each ration pack has about 4500 kcal designed to be used over 24 hr period. We weren’t out for 24 hrs so we didn’t eat everything but at least got to sample what’s to come. We will eventually have exercises that last 4, 5, even 6 days.  

In the evening we gathered together in a group and each of us in the troop got up to share our backgrounds for a few minutes. Hence the name “Ice Breaker.” We all got ready to sleep as the sun went down, and although the only shelter we had was a thin waterproof tarp, the sleeping bags were quite comfy and warm. Once you find a good position, sleeping wasn’t bad at all. In fact, I probably had a better sleep out there than in the block. 

We were woken up at 5 the next morning (as usual) and had to do our morning routine sitting down under the tarp. Boil water using the cook stove and mess tin, shave, wash your body under your clothes with a cloth, talc up your feet, polish your boots, brush your teeth, and get your sleeping bag and shelter all put away all in less than an hour. Apparently though we didn’t have to do ALL of that (I missed that part) and a few of us took a few extra minutes to put the shelters away. The corporals didn’t discipline us since we all came away as a section and helped each other to get all our things together. Overall, the exercise was quite easy-going and the Section Commanders didn’t seem as strict as they usually are. 

Overall, the week was good, albeit busy. Some evenings I felt frantic trying to get everything done in time (THE IRONING NEVER STOPS) and also get to bed at a reasonable time. Surprisingly, I’ve done quite well at staying awake during the day, during lessons, etc. You have to try not to get caught sleeping or yawning in class. They encourage anyone feeling tired to just stand up wherever you are in order to stay awake. So you get called out in front of everyone to stand up if your eyes start getting heavy and they see you. There have been lessons where I just stood up the entire time because I knew I would fall asleep immediately had I sat down. I also got told off by an officer during one lesson for yawning with my mouth open. He was a Lt. Col. or something so quite high up the chain of command. He said he didn’t want to see my tonsils and to make it come out of my ears or my eyes instead if necessary. So I had to start being conscious of my yawns yet would still sometimes do it without thinking (fortunately he didn’t see me those times).  

I don’t feel like it’s been hard for me to adjust to it here though. There are some things that are more difficult than others, but I try to take it all in my stride and I try to adopt the attitude that if I get told off for doing something wrong, it’s a good thing because I can learn how to do it better, instead of being afraid of getting told off or called out, which some recruits are. I really like the people in the troop and I’ve made an effort to learn everyone’s name and learn a little bit about everybody. There are now 35 in the Troop, as some who were backtrooped from groups ahead of us have now joined ours. I wouldn’t say that we are totally unified yet but we are moving in the right direction. Seeing the same people all day every day makes you get to know people well (in all sorts of ways…) quite quickly, so most of us are comfortable in the group and there is a lot of cohesion being developed. 

Let me know if there's other stuff you want to know. Until next week.

- Sam