LTC, pt 5

Platoon Photos

Alpha Company, Third Platoon
(Danny is in the center of the second row from the back, roughly)

Second PT Test

One more physical fitness test to see how far everyone had improved over the last month.

Rites of Passage

(okay, this I'm taking straight from the blog, because it explains it well enough and shows that he's kind of a dramatic writer, considering he's writing for an army training blog, and well, it's kind of funny, haha)

"There comes a day toward the end of a company's time at the Leader's Training Course when, under a dark, early morning sky, Cadets are given a moment to celebrate with a ceremony known as the rites of passage -- an event that marks the official end of formal training.  After a 6.2-mile road march starting at 3:15 am, the bleary-eyed, sweat-soaked Cadets made their way to Memorial Grove, where music greeted them.  Tunes ranging from Eminem to Toby Keith blared over the speakers, but were quickly drowned out by the motivating shouts of the Cadets.  Exhaustion could be heared in their voices and seen on their faces.  Just as the sun began to peek, giving the sky a purple hue, the Cadets fell into formation for the ceremony.  Under the shadow of trees, seven Cadets, reciting the seven Army Values, lit torches with a symbolic flame from the past, always remembering those who came before them.  At the conclusion of the ceremony, Cadets received an Army Values tag."

LTC, pt 4

Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) Training

Cadets were trained in basic rifle marksmanship while at LTC.  They learned basics first on rubber, or fake, M16s, then moved to real rifles, learning how they worked by disassembling and reassembling them.  They also spent time at the the shooting range learning how to aim, zero in, and fire properly during target practice.

Obstacle Course

Cadets spent a day going through an intense obstacle course to build physical fitness, confidence and teamwork.  (... you'll have to ask Danny what exactly these obstacle are, the blog never specifies... it looks like a lot of crawling under and over things and swinging from ropes, but I'm sure it's probably a little more involved than just that, lol).

Squad Tactical Exercise (STX)

"The squad tactical exercise was the capstone training event for the Leader's Training Course, combining skills Cadets had learned throughout LTC. ... STX is intense training for three days in the woods.  ... There were 20 lanes in the mock exercise, each approximately 200 to 400 meters long.  The mission for each was broken into three area: planning, practicing and executing.  The tactical lanes were meant to provide real-life scenarios for Cadets of experiences they could face in their future military careers."  Fortunately for the exercises, they use paintball guns which are not only safer (obviously) but also help show instantly whether or not someone got hit.  "Although at the end of the day it's just paint on their uniforms, STX is meant to get Cadets in the combat mindset."

... guess they had some leftover purple smoke, haha.

I think she got hit, lol.

... this is either helping a wounded comrade or searching an enemy ... those pictures all look the same...

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."