Day 12

Another classroom day? Are you kidding me? Easy, Grasshopper...all in time. All in time. Yes, it was another 100% classroom day but I believe it may have been the last. Today, we spent most of the morning learning combat first aid for the battlefield. Not only was it fantastic instruction, but I felt honored to be taught by someone who has been there/done that. He is a 20 year, retired Army guy and wounded warrior. His moment by moment description of when his convoy was hit by an IED was chilling, to say the least. Once he retired, he pursued the medical arena and became a paramedic and now teaches at my current location. Very good training and even some hands-on experience dressing some wounds and applying tourniquets. After that, we took a shift into chemical/biological warfare and if we were attacked. Out came our gas masks again and we stripped them down and rebuilt them. We then got to put on the "suit" that is made for a chemical attack. To wrap up the day, we were briefed on HEAT rollover training that awaits us tomorrow. It is one of 5 different things we'll do tomorrow, all in full battle armor (yes, it's 60lbs). Besides the HEAT (HMMWV Egress Assistance Trainer), we'll get more practice with our weapons tomorrow and begin convoy training. Now is the part of the training that I've most been looking forward to. Hands on, getting dirty, sweating a ton, firing the weapons, and getting ready for my mission. I think my posts here on the blog we'll become a little bit more animated in the coming days.

I'm going to call it a wrap for today. But, I beg you...please watch this video. It is a video from an Army base (one where I am NOT!) of the exact thing I'll be doing tomorrow. Remember, when you see these guys flipped over onto their heads, they are wearing full battle armor. That is a ton of weight to be inverted. My guess is that many of your jaws will drop while watching this.  Enjoy! (note: this machine replicates the cabin of an up-armored Humvee...the flipping of it simulates what often happens when they get hit with a roadside bomb...or IED. This better prepares us should that happen to us.)