We trekked out to the
shetach early on Sunday to
prepare for what would be the most interesting week of my army
service to date. The weather greatly improved (at least during the
day!), we learned in depth about taking hills in pairs and in fours.
After dry drills, we participated in live fire activities both in
daylight and in the middle of the night. While difficult, it was the
first time I actually felt like a “soldier” in every sense of the
world. Moving up a mountain, commanding a group of soldiers into
position and taking out the “targets” set the exciting foundation
for our combat training in the future.
While
the shetach was more
pleasant than usual, as the temperature dropped each night, so did
the mood. I've discussed the cold in depth, but it's simply something
that makes everything extraordinarily more difficult.
On
the last day of our shetach
activities, my commander pulled me aside and informed me that I would
be beginning the following week as a Kala
(sharpshooter). The role has always been my preferred assignment, one
that most combat soldiers hope for, and I was ecstatic to receive the
news.
The
catch? Three sharpshooters were chosen from my kita, and
only two can remain. While next week, we'll be participating in the
sharpshooter course for the entire week, one of the three of us will
not receive the role as course comes to an end.
We
arrived back to base on Wednesday and immediately all of the lone
soldiers were taken off the cafeteria for a “special lunch.” The
mayor of Ramat Gan (Tzanchanim's adopted city) as well as many donors
sat and indulged with us, enjoying food usually reserved for Shabbat.
From
the lunch, I went straight to sign out my new rifle! I traded in my
M16 for a heavily modified Kala M4,
equipped with two scopes (one with night vision technology!) and sat
through my first lesson about the rifle.
My
ankle far improved, I was given permission to exit on our masa
the same evening, a 7+1 kilometer (the +1 indicating distance spent
with an open stretcher). As with all masaot,
the first half an hour is the most difficult, although in this one
specifically, the feeling passed. While usually, my motivation is
simply to finish, this was the first masa
I felt prepared to help each of my friends, whether it meant spending
my time under the stretcher or helping push friends up one of the
steep hills.
I
finished the masa
strongly, a smile on my face and my ankle feeling strong. We received
our watch covers, another addition to our pazam and
headed off to a well-deserved sleep.
I
woke up the next morning and dressed in civilian clothes. The reason?
All of the lone soldiers left the base for a Yom Kef
(fun day while the rest of the soldiers had parents' day on base). We
were taken to a bowling alley, a barbecue and a spa. Sitting and
relaxing in hot pools, it the perfect wind-down to a week of shetach
and a masa on
army time and money! As the day came to a close, we left chamshush
once again (my fifth so far!)
and headed off to a weekend at home.
I'll
be on base early tomorrow to begin the sharpshooter course, prepared
to work harder than anyone else and earn my spot! I'm looking forward
to another exciting week before opening once again this coming
weekend!
Also,
a small side note. I find that while doing something fairly
interesting in the army, I can't help but think to myself, “I can't
wait to write about this.” While on one hand, the goal of the blog
is to inform friends and casual readers alike as to my life and
experiences in the army, it has also developed into a
self-motivational tool for me.
Looking
forward to an exciting week, only two more before my swearing in
ceremony!
-Brett
No comments:
Post a Comment