Part 5! That took a long time. Live has been a little hectic. Went on 3 weeks vacation, came back and had to prepare for a funeral of a friend who passed away, then I've been real heavy into the books. Lots of studying. But here it is Part 5 is done and ready to be read.Remember, this is first draft, with very little editing. Expect mistakes, expect some sloppy writing. Also a little side note, I am intoxicated with booze as I write this, so might be more sloppier then usual. But whatever, enjoy it as it is.But here it is. I hope you enjoy,Cuyler CallahanWarning: If you are offended by swearing, and some graphic scenes and scenarios, don’t read! *******************************************************************************************
Soldier Qualification 23 January 2010 Part 5I stared into the hot sun around 9:00. It was Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009. Time really isn't anything people in the field pay attention to very closely. We make sure we are in the right spot at the right time, but you take somebody, stick them in the field for a week or two, and pull them out, you can bet eighty percent of them will have to ask for the date.Today was the first day in the field for SQ. I just threw my ruck off, and now drank some water which didn't really hit the spot; my mouth was very dry already. We stood in a FOB (Forward Operating Base). This three days in the field wasn't operational training, but rather classroom work that needed a field environment to explain things- navigation, tactics etc."OKAY!" Kellog yelled out, "gather over by me." We moved towards him. "Fucking move already God Damn It." We ran towards him and stood waiting for more. He adjusted his floppy hat to block the sun from his eyes more. "Okay, first thing we are going to do isn't really in the lesson plan, but it's pretty fun, we have fun doing it, and you will have fun doing it to. I want you all to go stand up on the east wall right now."We moved to the east wall. A FOB is constructed of big cloth bags full of gravel or sand, and they are stacked on top of each other. The top will have razor wire strung along the top to help keep intruders out. I stood on the wall with my rifle and looked out through the wire. About 200 meters out, a tree line of low bush ran north to south. From there up to the wall lay tall grass with some rocks, and a few little bushes spotting the ground.Kellog began speaking again, "okay, what you guys are going to do is cam up, go to the tree line, and make your way to the wall without being seen. When you are within 50 meters of the wall, you pop off a shot, and then you win, because then you just killed me. We will have some staff walking around out in the grass, and I and Sergeant Moy will direct them with radio where to walk, we will ask them if someone is where they are standing, if they are, you are caught. If you are caught you will come back to the FOB and wait. Cam up now."Sounded fun to me. I broke open my cam paint and started applying the paste. I hate cam paint. I sweat lots, and usually the paint sweats off and gets in my eyes, nose, and mouth, but its standard procedure so I had to do it. I grabbed some grass and stuck it in my helmet band, and stuck grass in my boots, and in my tack vest. I loaded blanks into my rifle. Sergeant Anglis and Song led us out to the starting point.At 10:00 we were told to start. I waited until ten then started my approach. As soon as I started I already knew I was going to be caught. I am not good at sneaking. I crawled up to a bush, then over behind a rock. I saw some General Duty (GD) staff walking around. One GD staff slowly walked towards me and stood right beside me.Over his radio I heard Warrant Kellog's voice. "Right there, stop right there. Okay is somebody laying right there.""Yes Warrant," the GD staff said into his radio."Okay, tell him he's caught." Kellog sounded bored.I felt a much anticipated tap on my shoulder. I looked up. "You heard him." I nodded my head, stood up and walked back to the FOB.I was relieved when I got to the FOB that I wasn't the first to be caught, a couple other guys stood inside. I grabbed a drink, placed my floppy hat on and stood on the barricades and attempted myself to spot anybody. It actually was quite difficult. Whenever somebody stood up because they were caught by Warrant Kellog or Sergeant Moy, I was surprised.About a half hour after I was caught, a shot was popped off. "Okay, everybody get your fucking asses back here." Moy bellowed out into the field. Knight stood up, looking ready to dance. When everybody stood up it was eye opening how close people got without being spotted.Back in the FOB Kellog walked up to Knight and shook his hand. "Good job, most courses don't get a shot off.""Thanks Warrant.""Don't fucking thank me." Kellog looked around at everybody, "okay, get ready for some lessons. Tille hats on, canteens, and split off into your sections."***Meal times are always a favorite among soldiers. It's a time to relax a bit, eat some food, talk, and take it easy, even if for just 10 minutes. I stood in line for food in the mess tent. Warrant Kellog, Sergeant Moy, and Sergeant Anglis served us food, but they wouldn't give it to us until we answered a question correctly.I was sent to the back of the line three times before Warrant Kellog said, "Fuck it, let him have some food, we don't want Callahan to starve, he might fucking eat us." Sergeant Moy scooped some potatoes on my plate, Kellog some meat balls, and Anglis some beans. I sat down and began eating.After all the other troops got their food, the staff scooped up their own. Sergeant Moy walked over to my table and sat down across from me. Fuck, this isn't good, I thought in my head. Kellog sat down beside me, and Anglis beside Moy. Shit Shit Shit."How you doing Callahan?" Moy asked, staring at me with his 'your a fucking fool' face, though looking like his question was innocent. I know perfectly well it wasn't."Uhh... Good Sergeant," I said nervously. Warrant Kellog made a sound, I wasn't sure if it was a grunt or a sniff, but it sounded condescending to me. Anglis stared at me with his stoney face I respected these men greatly, but having a conversation at supper scared the shit out of me. I'm not one to joke around with staff. Other guys are more comfortable stepping through the guide lines society sets out, I am more nervous, especially in military society. I'm not scared of them, I know they are just men, but they have the authority to make my night a living hell if they want to."So Callahan, why did you have so much trouble with the leopard crawling?" Moy asked me. " Your just crawling across the ground, doesn't seem to hard to me." He laughed loudly. Kellog laughed with him as well as Anglis. I will also mention this whole conversation was said really loudly so the whole mess tent could here, minus my own voice which I kept in the tables earshot."I guess I'm just a big guy Sergeant, got a lot of weight to move.""We'll take care of that," Moy said with a big grin on his face. I heard sighs around the tent as everybody realized what it meant."Fuck," I said."What did you say," Kellog grilled me."Fuck""You got that right." Kellog, Anglis, and Moy all let out a laugh that seemed so fake, but at the same time, seemed they genuinely enjoyed the torment they put on me, and my comrades.After supper, we did more leopard crawling, twice as much as the first time, but surprisingly I kept up this time, and we carried weapons this time.***A rough sleep in a hoochie, which is basically just a tarp that you construct to keep the rain off, and a slim meal left me a bit more tired and grumpy then I wanted to be. My elbows and inside of my knees burned as sweat seeped into the scabs created from the previous nights leopard crawling. But none of that mattered. The sun sat high in the sky, the temperature sat higher, and I had a 80lb ruck on my back, dressed in FFO, and a Warrant who wanted to have "fun" with his troops.We were lined up in two lines. "You boys ready for some fun?" Kellog said. Sergeant Moy stood at the side of the ranks, ready to yell at those in the back he deemed as "Shit Pumps". We were as ready as we ever would be. None of us wanted to ruck up the hill, but it is the army, and is expected of us."Okay, lets go," Kellog said. He started his march. I don't have problems with ruck marches. I'm a big guy, and running gets the better of me, but I can ruck as far as anybody else, my body was made for it.We exited the FOB and took a left down a dirt road, then a right at the intersection it came to. I stared up the famous Warner Hill. We came down it to the FOB, and went half way up it because the Warrant thought we needed extra exercise, but now he was taking us for a Ruck March for fun, so the experience could be a bit shitty.Let me explain Warner Hill. Warner Hill is a kilometer and a half hill, at a angle that when our trucks go up it, the trucks struggle. It is steep enough that when you go down, you need to watch your step so you don't slip. That is Warner hill."Okay boys, up the fucking hill." Kellog said.Moy whined, "Move your asses."We began the climb. It didn't bother me much. My little french buddy Pru struggled. I heard him swearing under his breath the whole time. Cursing and cursing, "Eh Tabanac, blah blah, Coliese." I could understand why. He was probably just shy of 110 lbs with a 70 lbs ruck on his back. He looked all bone, but he still made it, stayed in the line, and kept pushing her.Our real disgrace was Corporal Lisle. This guy looked like your average Joe. I figured if Pru could make it, this guy would have no problem. But time and time again we had to help him. On other PT sessions we would be pushing him, keeping him in the group. Warner Hill was no exception.I saw him struggling on the side, the course passing him. I jumped out and got behind him, pushing him up. I figured I'd give him a hand. You know what this pump did, he fucking leans back on me, and makes me push harder. I kept pushing. "Callahan, get back in line, let the shit pump deal with it," Sergeant Moy said. I jumped back in the line.Sergeant Moy walked up beside Lisle. In a real sweat talking voice Moy said, "You having trouble Lisle? What seems to be the problem?"Lisle stopped began wheezing. "MOVE YOUR FUCKING ASS YOU SHIT PUMP! YOU GOING TO FUCK YOUR BUDDIES, NOW THEY HAVE TO COME BACK AND GET YOU!""Ah fuck!" I heard someone say up ahead. It sounded like Hillman."Fucking Lisle again!" Anerson said.Lisle was a ways back. We hadn't even reached the halfway point up the hill yet. "Okay, lets go rescue buddy fucker." Kellog said. He sounded pissed. Moy stood by Lisle who was on his hands and knees wheezing. Moy yelled at him, telling him to get up.We were turned around, when we reached him he got up. "Get to the fucking front of the line," Moy said. We turned back up the hill and continued. Not even a full minute and Lisle stopped and fell back like he passed out. Kellog told the guys to lay him at the side of the road and the truck behind us would pick him up.I don't know what to say about the guy except that he is a giant pussy. How can he pass out, and give up so easily when a little guy- as whiny as he may be- like Pru can push through and make it. What pisses me off more is I try to help him, and he just gave up and leaned back on me, I basically was carrying him up the hill for a bit. The guy really shouldn't be in the army. He doesn't have the will, or the physical ability to do it.Kellog took us up the hill, down the hill, up the hill, down the hill, up the hill and down the hill. We turned on the road towards the FOB. I had already emptied my canteen and wanted more water. The FOB was coming up and I was really ready for a break. We hit the entrance to the FOB but Kellog didn't take us in. He kept moving forward.Typical, is all I thought. It happens all the time in the army. Just as soon as you reached the end, they make us go farther. Kellog went about a quarter kilometer past the FOB."Fuck," he said and turned us around. "Your all a bunch of pussies and can't keep up." I don't know what he was talking about. We were all talking and seemed ready to continue if he really needed us too, but apparently we were pussies and needed to quite. Another mind game, really he just had to get us to classes, but didn't want us to know we did a decent job minus one Shit Pump.We entered the FOB, I dropped my ruck, and felt light as a feather. I filled my canteen and took a nice drink of water, warm as it may be. One thing you learn in the army is your canteen is another friend. No matter what quality the water will be, when you are thirsty you will drink anything, and it will come from your canteen. You learn to love that little green bottle, and see it as a source of life.***Our last night of the field had us moving our hoochies from the side wall of the FOB to the Poison Ivy fields of the bush outside the FOB. The warrant hadn't planned for us to sleep out there, but some dumb ass had a bright idea that it would be fun to sleep out in the bush. The warrant thought it was a great idea as well.We pitched our hoochies out in the bush, but no matter where we pitched them, there was always Poison Ivy. We were told to "Deal With It" by our staff who slept in a heated tent. I suppose they had to "Deal With It" as well when they were privates like us and were having fun getting revenge on the younger generation of soldiers. I know when I'm a Sergeant I'll be telling some young buck private to "Deal With It" as well for the exact same reasons.After we pitched our hoochies we came back to the FOB. Night was falling and it was getting pretty dark. Warrant Kellog had us gather in classroom tent. "Okay," he said, standing at the front, “we are done classes, a head of schedule, so we have a treat, you all did a great job out here. Next week will be much tougher however, this is nothing compared to what you will experience in the field next week. Enjoy tonight, but you still have sentry duty, so don't forget."Kellog flicked on a projector and his laptop powered by a diesel generator outside the tent. We all sat and watched some war footage from afghanistan. We cheered as we watched some dirty Taliban get destroyed by artillery, or taken down by a hail of bullets. When the staff ran out of bullets, they flipped on Rambo. Sadly I had to leave half way through to do sentry with Pru.I listened to him talk about computer programming and girls. It was boring but entertaining at the same time. I got along with Pru pretty well. After sentry, we retired to our hooch. The next morning we packed up and went back to base, cleaned our weapons, and prepared for the weekend. I was excited for a proper nights sleep.*******************************************************************************************
