Got issued all the text books today: Warfighting includes land navigation, squad formations and tactics, calling for fire (both artillery and air support, etc etc - Medical first responder type stuff - Communication, mostly radio and signs - Administration and Training and one I forget the name of. All are pretty thick.

Also got issued all the body armor, rifle, pistol and associated gear.

Tomorrow starts at 0430 with a physical fitness test then evolves into classroom training.

According to the schedule, the real fun starts in two weeks. Field time!!! I am going to blow some stuff up <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> We are getting 10 grenades a piece and the instructors are working on acquiring C4 and a few Javelin Anti Tank Missiles.

Friday has 5 hours of combat conditioning in the morning. I am guessing this is when the instructors plan to weed out the weak. They say this course has a 25 percent attrition rate.

Don't worry about this Marines. I have been training hard for this training.

I did get issued a sword, but we were told only the platoon sergeants use them during formation movements.

This guy won't be trying to be a platoon sergeant. Not trying to get honor grad, but plan to be a distinguished graduate by being in the top 95 percentile GPA.

Side note: There are hundreds of the Canadian special forces here. Half speak french all the time and the others speak English with a funny accent. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> Pretty cool bunch of guys - laid back, but all business. They have been given access to our base exchange and are taking full advantage of it. The shelves have half of what they did when I got here. Ahhhh, the land of the big PX.

Six hours of exercise and I am sore and really tired. That is all.

Still tired and appreciating the fact we get the weekend off. Today 8 Marines were sent home for injuries, failure to meet physical standards and failure to pass a knowledge test.

We started with 80 students, so it is a 10 percent attrition rate at the moment. Hopefully the weak have been weeded out and the rest will stick around.

Here is a sample of what it sounded like today for morning PT. The Marines here should have some memories stirred up from this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGKPwjtzl8E

Enjoy your weekend buddy you deserve the time off! Are you restricted to base or can you explore the area

We aren't restricted to base. We are sergeants.

However, most if not all of the sergeants here have decided to remain on base and avoid the fun to stay healthy during the course. Plus, we are a few hours from any city with fun. Twentynine Palms is slightly isolated.

We have a 72 next weekend for MLK day. I do plan on cycling to Bigbear Lake - about 7 hours on a bike and 1.5 in a car.

End of first day of the second week. I have come to the conclusion they think we learn better when we are dead tired. Maybe this is true.

They run us, beat us (literally, we did 3 hours of intense MMA training today) and then firehose feed information into our brains. We are focusing on ethics in garrison as well as combat zones tomorrow and I have 4 hours of reading after a 12 hour day.

I'm tired.

Hang in there JJ, Adapt and overcome!