- Joined
- May 21, 2004
- Messages
- 612
Chapter 1: Basic Training
A tank driver, serving in the 188th brigade at the Israeli Defense Forces. How it all began?
It was a sunny day, the day I recruited was a day of mess. In a matter of a day I turned from a citizen into a soldier. I had to go through hours of checkouts, bored to hell, cut m hair. get stabbed by 5 syringes and lastly, wear the uniforms I grew to hate. We drove 8 hours straight to the desert into a deserted base called Shizafon. It's the base of training the generations of the armored corps, to become one of the team of 4. A gunner, a loader and a driver and a commander, whom is chosen only after the training- meaning you gotta be one of the professions first..
A gunner- Usually the geeks get picked for that, all those guys who you can see that played video games all their lives. Well they do have to play with pads to shoot.
A loader- the guy who loads the missile. Gotta have rough body, and the ability to do all the hard work and shut up.
A driver - usually the lazy guys and those they want to put in the commander course after we finish all the training.
A commander- well, a commander is a commander.
The basic training started, we had to run all day from place to place and get into formation for every single thing. We had been given times to do each tasks, to eat to go from one place to another, to sleep, to breath even. And when we failed, they would beat our asses with hours of grinding push ups.
The basic training was not an easy thing, even for a tankist. And moreover, especially not for me. My grandfather died a week before I recruited, and my personality started regressing due to the mental challenge I had to go through. I was depressed too, not wanting to serve in the armored corps, wanted to be a real infantry soldier. But I failed to get what I wanted. Most of the guys at the training thought I was suicidal because I was depressed, and they were right, I was depressed as shit. There were days I skipped meals, and days I didn't eat at all.
The first weeks of basic training were about shooting, me and my M16a1, Sonia were mediocre and above. Never failed a session. I enjoyed the most the night sessions, we all sat with out war vests in the middle of the desert with the light of the stars, trying not to fall asleep so the sergeant won't give us anymore pushups to do... or worse.. start running in complete darkness.
The thing that broke me, for a reason was the war week. It's a week we had to go to a week of field activity simulating war. I didn't eat anything for 3 days. And I was as weak as a bug. I could barely keep up with the group, and I didn't tell anyone. nobody cared, and I didn't care either. They thought I was weak, but I was stronger than the most. None would pass those 3 days alive with no food and not squeak.
That was the first part of training.. Now I gotta go to my guarding shift. Will continue this.
A tank driver, serving in the 188th brigade at the Israeli Defense Forces. How it all began?
It was a sunny day, the day I recruited was a day of mess. In a matter of a day I turned from a citizen into a soldier. I had to go through hours of checkouts, bored to hell, cut m hair. get stabbed by 5 syringes and lastly, wear the uniforms I grew to hate. We drove 8 hours straight to the desert into a deserted base called Shizafon. It's the base of training the generations of the armored corps, to become one of the team of 4. A gunner, a loader and a driver and a commander, whom is chosen only after the training- meaning you gotta be one of the professions first..
A gunner- Usually the geeks get picked for that, all those guys who you can see that played video games all their lives. Well they do have to play with pads to shoot.
A loader- the guy who loads the missile. Gotta have rough body, and the ability to do all the hard work and shut up.
A driver - usually the lazy guys and those they want to put in the commander course after we finish all the training.
A commander- well, a commander is a commander.
The basic training started, we had to run all day from place to place and get into formation for every single thing. We had been given times to do each tasks, to eat to go from one place to another, to sleep, to breath even. And when we failed, they would beat our asses with hours of grinding push ups.
The basic training was not an easy thing, even for a tankist. And moreover, especially not for me. My grandfather died a week before I recruited, and my personality started regressing due to the mental challenge I had to go through. I was depressed too, not wanting to serve in the armored corps, wanted to be a real infantry soldier. But I failed to get what I wanted. Most of the guys at the training thought I was suicidal because I was depressed, and they were right, I was depressed as shit. There were days I skipped meals, and days I didn't eat at all.
The first weeks of basic training were about shooting, me and my M16a1, Sonia were mediocre and above. Never failed a session. I enjoyed the most the night sessions, we all sat with out war vests in the middle of the desert with the light of the stars, trying not to fall asleep so the sergeant won't give us anymore pushups to do... or worse.. start running in complete darkness.
The thing that broke me, for a reason was the war week. It's a week we had to go to a week of field activity simulating war. I didn't eat anything for 3 days. And I was as weak as a bug. I could barely keep up with the group, and I didn't tell anyone. nobody cared, and I didn't care either. They thought I was weak, but I was stronger than the most. None would pass those 3 days alive with no food and not squeak.
That was the first part of training.. Now I gotta go to my guarding shift. Will continue this.