LTC, pt 3

Combat Water Survival Training

Cadets participated in Combat Water Survival Training (CWST).  They had to complete a series of different stations in the pool that would simulate realistic situations in combat.  They consisted of:  --swim "15 meters while holding an M-16 rifle partially above water"  --equipment release where they "leapt off the edge of the pool and forced to release his or her rifle and ammunition" before coming back to the surface  --survival float, where they blew air into their uniform to help float  --five minutes treading water  --and last, "blind-folded Cadets stepped off the three-meter high diving board and, without releasing their weapon, swam to the side".

... have I mentioned how a lot of the stuff these guys are doing seem like an episode of Fear Factor to me?

Stream Crossing

Another training they did was stream crossing.  They learned how to cross a two-rope and three-rope bridge, as well as how to make their own one-rope bridge and cross it.  They "learned how to tie proper knots before going across the stream, learning about the gear they would working with.  They used ropes to configure Swiss seats that act as a harness to allow Cadets to hook onto the rope without falling."  It was intense and focused work doing these training exercises at high speeds while maintaining a high efficiency.

Map Reading and Land Navigation

A skill that all military needs to learn is navigation.  Cadets "must learn how to read and navigate their way around a map.  Given the standard tools of a compass, protractor, straight edge and a 1:50,000 scale map, Soldiers are expected to be able to find a given point. ... Cadets at LTC had a five-hour map reading class, followed by a written test." They then apply their newly acquired map-reading skills in a land navigation test in the field.  "Cadets had to find three out of four points in a densely-wooded area during the day, and two out of three points at night to pass their land navigation test."

Call of the Wild

Call of the Wild, or water operations, consisted of three events: wet-weather bag float, junkyard wars, and Zodiac boat races.  The bag float required cadets in twenty minutes to "use only their own rucksacks containing personal belongings they were required to bring to the lake -- including a change of dry clothes -- and a camouflage poncho to make a flotation device."  In junkyard wars, cadets used "four 55-gallon barrels, two 4x4 planks, a tarp and a sheet of plywood to build a raft that would carry at least one Cadet safely on top around a buoy about thirty feet from shore."  For the Zodiac boat races, "Cadets paddled the rafts to the middle of the lake to a buoy where all but three Cadets exited the raft.  With one Cadet grabbing hold of the side of the boat, the three remaining Cadets capsized the boat by pulling the ropes with all their strength, placing the single Cadet in the water on top of the capsized boat.  The same maneuver would be done to position the boat upright again."