Week 1
2008-07-14
Today was the first time we got in the tanks. Even though it was just to play with the radios, my blood was pumping like there was no tomorrow. I have never been in something so powerful. Before I had only seen tanks in pictures and here I was sitting in one. Everyone else who had gotten into it before was sweating bullets because it was about 95 degrees outside and a little hotter in the tin can but I couldn’t feel it because just the fact of what I was doing.
The whole radio part is easy for me. I really, really paid close attention on the radios back when I was in MCT and it is the same radios just with some stuff added to manage 2 radios and the 4 crewmen’s headsets.
The other part we have been studying so far that I have not been worried about because we also did in MCT is the 240 machine guns. The only difference is that they have some parts changed but otherwise they are basically the same thing.
The only thing that I have found hard so far is the PT. It is really hard and is going to get a lot harder. Today we did what was called an Indian Run. We all ran in 2 columns, 1 on each side of the road and when the whistle blows the 2 on the end have to sprint to the front. That sounds easy but we were running 2 miles while doing that. That is what makes it hard. Tonight the Sgt. put pain next to PT on the whiteboard of what we are doing so I am a little scared but know in the end it will just make me stronger and I have nothing really to fear.
2008-07-15
Let’s start out with today with PT hurt. Half of the platoon was throwing up near the end. Yes, if your body is worked hard enough you will throw up. I almost throw up right after it as we were climbing the stairs up to our floor to shower and go to chow. I had never even reached that point in boot camp and MCT we PTed twice and they were light, very light. Here we have already been told that have the hardest PT for an MOS school besides the Mechanics they train here for our tanks. I think it is because we might not PT much in the fleet with this MOS. Either way I think I am going to come out of here with more muscle than coming out of boot.
Today was boring for classes because we didn’t really get to practice them in the tanks like we were supposed to because the class itself took too long. The way classes work is that we have one class is the morning while the other platoon has another class then after lunch we switch. So we had a class on hand signals for showing a driver where to go while in the tank. That wasn’t hard. I had it done in no time. After lunch we went over how to get into, setup the loader’s station and secure the station. Yesterday we had just done the radio in that station. Now I know this is just the start on this station though I just can’t wait till we are learning to load and unload then firing the rounds but that’s going to be a good while away. I heard from someone here who went through most of it and failed at the end that the first month is nothing but classes so I got to just live with the boring parts like this because it will be better once we are out of the basic classes.
Today was the first time we got in the tanks. Even though it was just to play with the radios, my blood was pumping like there was no tomorrow. I have never been in something so powerful. Before I had only seen tanks in pictures and here I was sitting in one. Everyone else who had gotten into it before was sweating bullets because it was about 95 degrees outside and a little hotter in the tin can but I couldn’t feel it because just the fact of what I was doing.
The whole radio part is easy for me. I really, really paid close attention on the radios back when I was in MCT and it is the same radios just with some stuff added to manage 2 radios and the 4 crewmen’s headsets.
The other part we have been studying so far that I have not been worried about because we also did in MCT is the 240 machine guns. The only difference is that they have some parts changed but otherwise they are basically the same thing.
The only thing that I have found hard so far is the PT. It is really hard and is going to get a lot harder. Today we did what was called an Indian Run. We all ran in 2 columns, 1 on each side of the road and when the whistle blows the 2 on the end have to sprint to the front. That sounds easy but we were running 2 miles while doing that. That is what makes it hard. Tonight the Sgt. put pain next to PT on the whiteboard of what we are doing so I am a little scared but know in the end it will just make me stronger and I have nothing really to fear.
2008-07-15
Let’s start out with today with PT hurt. Half of the platoon was throwing up near the end. Yes, if your body is worked hard enough you will throw up. I almost throw up right after it as we were climbing the stairs up to our floor to shower and go to chow. I had never even reached that point in boot camp and MCT we PTed twice and they were light, very light. Here we have already been told that have the hardest PT for an MOS school besides the Mechanics they train here for our tanks. I think it is because we might not PT much in the fleet with this MOS. Either way I think I am going to come out of here with more muscle than coming out of boot.
Today was boring for classes because we didn’t really get to practice them in the tanks like we were supposed to because the class itself took too long. The way classes work is that we have one class is the morning while the other platoon has another class then after lunch we switch. So we had a class on hand signals for showing a driver where to go while in the tank. That wasn’t hard. I had it done in no time. After lunch we went over how to get into, setup the loader’s station and secure the station. Yesterday we had just done the radio in that station. Now I know this is just the start on this station though I just can’t wait till we are learning to load and unload then firing the rounds but that’s going to be a good while away. I heard from someone here who went through most of it and failed at the end that the first month is nothing but classes so I got to just live with the boring parts like this because it will be better once we are out of the basic classes.