The last few days have been busy and tiring. Wednesday was the first day of wearing the "battle rattle" and we did so while moving through some drills to prepare us for rifle qualification. Yesterday was a long day where we went through some convoy drills, rode a vehicle rollover simulator, and had MREs for lunch. After lunch we used the rifle range simulator which is a lifelike video game followed by a practice run through the M9 qualification course and Table 3. The M9 qualification is straightforward stand and shoot at the target, but Table 3 is an Army qualification course where it's under stress (Drill Sergeant yelling at you) and you run to four different stations and fire at three different targets.
We had an early start today, up at 0350 and on a bus to the range by 0500. There we actually shot our weapons for the first time, qualifying on the M9 and zeroing our rifles. Even with six years of active duty, I'd never had the chance to shoot for ribbons until today. And though I didn't shoot as good as others like Dan next to me, I still scored in the highest range to make Expert and earn the Marksmanship Medal!
I've been trying to 'embrace the suck' and have found that it pays to do so. Not only does the day go faster if you have a positive attitude, but if you're first in line for everything it leaves room for some down time to rest and relax that others may not be able to enjoy. There's no getting away from the discomfort of all the gear and that can be distracting, but I just keep telling myself it will only last for so long.
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