I'm just pleased someone actually got it. Not a whole lot of Joel Chandler Harris fans out there anymore.
Case Study: Revolution
- Thread starter Marauder06
- Start date
I'm just pleased someone actually got it. Not a whole lot of Joel Chandler Harris fans out there anymore.
It was daylight again when Faith and the other candidates arrived at their new destination. They were given five minutes to change into PT clothes and report to the track. Faith thought that the PT test was straightforward enough, although it was a bit disconcerting that the graders did not count repetitions out loud. He was also not permitted to wear a watch on the run, so he had no idea how fast he actually ran. He felt like he ran very quickly, but he felt more tired than he usually did after running only two miles, and idly wondered if the route was longer than it was supposed to be. Faith finished the run in the middle of the pack. The graders, waiting at the finish line, solemnly wrote down the finish times but did not say a word to the runners. Immediately after finishing the run, the group was directed to the pull-up bar and Faith somehow found himself at the head of the line. The bar was high off the ground, and even though Faith was unusually tall, he had to leap and grab the bar with one hand before being able to get into position to do the exercise. The bar was very wide, so Faith wasn’t able to close his hand around it, and the bar was simply placed in sockets on the uprights, so it rolled around in his hands. It was almost as if the bar was constructed to make it as difficult as possible. Out of breath from the run, with the bar rolling in his hands, Faith still managed to knock out ten “clean” pull-ups and three more through the use of kipping. He hoped that would be enough.
Daedalus
Verified Military
I was halfway expecting pit-falls and Indiana Jones-style blow dart traps to appear in that run with the way the assessement seems to be going.
Still in their sweaty PT uniforms, Faith and his assessment cohort were herded into a small classroom. On each desk were a stack of papers and two #2 pencils. A thin, older man wearing a technician’s coat stood at the far end of the room, in front of a dusty chalkboard. “Candidates, your next event is a psychological evaluation,” the technician intoned monotonously. “Before you is a battery of psychological tests. These will measure your mental aptitude and your psychological fitness. You will not exit this room for any reason, until you have completed this battery of tests,” the technician admonished. He walked over to the door, opened it, and said “You may begin” before exiting the room. The door made a solid “click!” behind him as he exited.
Faith picked up a pencil and went to write his name at the top of the test. Then he noticed that it was brand new and had never been sharpened. Typical. He picked up his second pencil and saw it, too, was without a point. He glanced around the room and saw the other candidates with similarly perplexed looks on their faces. “Um, anyone have a pencil that actually works?” he asked aloud. He saw the candidate next to him flinch, Faith guessed the other man was surprised to hear someone else’s voice.
“Not me,” said a tall, thin candidate.
“Me neither,” said a woman’s voice. Faith supposed she was the one he had sat beside on his way to the SERE training. He was pleased she was still in the running for a spot on the team.
As it turned out, no one had an operational pencil. Faith stood up and walked over to the desk where the technician had been seated. There was one drawer in the desk; it was empty. A quick check by the candidates revealed that there were no pencil sharpeners, and no other writing utensils anywhere in the room. Faith was perplexed, and a little annoyed. How did the 16th expect to conduct a psychological evaluation without pencils, or any means to sharpen them?
Faith picked up a pencil and went to write his name at the top of the test. Then he noticed that it was brand new and had never been sharpened. Typical. He picked up his second pencil and saw it, too, was without a point. He glanced around the room and saw the other candidates with similarly perplexed looks on their faces. “Um, anyone have a pencil that actually works?” he asked aloud. He saw the candidate next to him flinch, Faith guessed the other man was surprised to hear someone else’s voice.
“Not me,” said a tall, thin candidate.
“Me neither,” said a woman’s voice. Faith supposed she was the one he had sat beside on his way to the SERE training. He was pleased she was still in the running for a spot on the team.
As it turned out, no one had an operational pencil. Faith stood up and walked over to the desk where the technician had been seated. There was one drawer in the desk; it was empty. A quick check by the candidates revealed that there were no pencil sharpeners, and no other writing utensils anywhere in the room. Faith was perplexed, and a little annoyed. How did the 16th expect to conduct a psychological evaluation without pencils, or any means to sharpen them?
Well, assessment isn't over yet...
let's see.... at a paragraph at a time, this case study will take until Jesus returns before it is complete.... just sittin here waiting on the Rapture, Sir... Should I start singing "Bring in the Sheaves" or "Jesus loves me" or would Bach's Easter Mass in B Minor be more time consuming and more relaxing....
Have I mentioned lately thath you are worse than a crack dealer with these Case Studies... get us hooked then make us wait...
and, yeah.... you left us without pencil sharpeners too...
A short time later, Faith found himself at the head of the line in a large indoor pool. The right side of the pool contained a mockup of a Blackhawk helicopter, suspended about ten feet above the pool by a large metal arm that was anchored to the ground. On the left side of the pool, separated by floating line, the candidates waited for the instructions for their next event. The initial excitement of assessment was starting to wear off, and fatigue was settling like a blanket over Faith’s brain. He shook his head vigorously to clear it as an instructor dressed in black fatigues began speaking.
“Candidates! At the sound of the whistle, you will enter the water. You will then touch the bottom of the pool, and swim 50 meters, submerged, to the designated end point.” The speaker gestured to a floating line in the distance. “Your flight helmet must remain on your head for the duration of this event. Observe the demonstrator.” At this, another instructor leaped into the pool, sank to the bottom, pushed off, and effortless swam underwater to the designated end point.
Faith looked apprehensively at the water. Dressed now in light-weight body armor, flight suit, and boots, his body felt absolutely leaden. His flight helmet was soggy, ill-fitting, and smelled mildly of mildew. 50 meters wasn’t a long distance, but having to do it all underwater, with all this gear on… Faith wasn’t so sure he could do it.
“At my whistle, begin!”
“Candidates! At the sound of the whistle, you will enter the water. You will then touch the bottom of the pool, and swim 50 meters, submerged, to the designated end point.” The speaker gestured to a floating line in the distance. “Your flight helmet must remain on your head for the duration of this event. Observe the demonstrator.” At this, another instructor leaped into the pool, sank to the bottom, pushed off, and effortless swam underwater to the designated end point.
Faith looked apprehensively at the water. Dressed now in light-weight body armor, flight suit, and boots, his body felt absolutely leaden. His flight helmet was soggy, ill-fitting, and smelled mildly of mildew. 50 meters wasn’t a long distance, but having to do it all underwater, with all this gear on… Faith wasn’t so sure he could do it.
“At my whistle, begin!”
Daedalus
Verified Military
So...did they find a way to sharpen the pencils?
What about the pencils?
use the concrete floor like a piece of sandpaper.
find a sharp corner of a metal desk, chair or blackboard.
break a window and use the broken glass like a knife.
lots of ways to sharpen the pencils....
too bad that's not the only point of that assessment.
Daedalus
Verified Military
I take that is one of the many awesome tricks they teach you in the Q course? 
I take that is one of the many awesome tricks they teach you in the Q course?
no, as a kid building crap in the garage and being too stubborn to go in the house to get a knife or use a pencil sharpener... you never had to adapt and overcome as a kid... what were you a friggin saint or something?
Shhhhhhhhhhush......I want to hear the tall guy tell it.
Oh crap! Sorry, got ahead of myself.
In speaking with the other candidates, Faith and the others discovered that no one had any tools they could use to sharpen the pencils, or any ideas where they might acquire any. One candidate decided to stick his head out into the hallway to call for the technician, but the door was locked.
“Any ideas?” Faith asked aloud. If they hadn’t been on 30+ hours of no sleep, they might have been able to come up with a plan. But the best thing he could come up with was to use the leg of his chair to crush the tip of the pencil, and then peel away the splinters until enough of the lead emerged to make it useful. After a bit of experimentation, Faith was able to get something that just might work. He showed the other candidates what he had done, and pretty soon everyone was hard at work on their psych assessments. But shortly after they began, the door opened and the technician reappeared.
“Candidates, the psychological evaluation is over,” he announced. “Put down your pencils and fall out for the swim test.”
Faith knew that he and the other candidates had spent a lot of time trying to sort out the pencil situation, but even if they had started with two sharp #2s, they still wouldn’t have gotten through the battery of tests in such a short period of time.
In speaking with the other candidates, Faith and the others discovered that no one had any tools they could use to sharpen the pencils, or any ideas where they might acquire any. One candidate decided to stick his head out into the hallway to call for the technician, but the door was locked.
“Any ideas?” Faith asked aloud. If they hadn’t been on 30+ hours of no sleep, they might have been able to come up with a plan. But the best thing he could come up with was to use the leg of his chair to crush the tip of the pencil, and then peel away the splinters until enough of the lead emerged to make it useful. After a bit of experimentation, Faith was able to get something that just might work. He showed the other candidates what he had done, and pretty soon everyone was hard at work on their psych assessments. But shortly after they began, the door opened and the technician reappeared.
“Candidates, the psychological evaluation is over,” he announced. “Put down your pencils and fall out for the swim test.”
Faith knew that he and the other candidates had spent a lot of time trying to sort out the pencil situation, but even if they had started with two sharp #2s, they still wouldn’t have gotten through the battery of tests in such a short period of time.
NOW the bit about the swim test:
A short time later, Faith found himself at the head of the line in a large indoor pool. The right side of the pool contained a mockup of a Blackhawk helicopter, suspended about ten feet above the pool by a large metal arm that was anchored to the ground. On the left side of the pool, separated by floating line, the candidates waited for the instructions for their next event. The initial excitement of assessment was starting to wear off, and fatigue was settling like a blanket over Faith’s brain. He shook his head vigorously to clear it as an instructor dressed in black fatigues began speaking.
“Candidates! At the sound of the whistle, you will enter the water. You will then touch the bottom of the pool, and swim 50 meters, submerged, to the designated end point.” The speaker gestured to a floating line in the distance. “Your flight helmet must remain on your head for the duration of this event. Observe the demonstrator.” At this, another instructor leaped into the pool, sank to the bottom, pushed off, and effortless swam underwater to the designated end point.
Faith looked apprehensively at the water. Dressed now in light-weight body armor, flight suit, and boots, his body felt absolutely leaden. His flight helmet was soggy, ill-fitting, and smelled mildly of mildew. 50 meters wasn’t a long distance, but having to do it all underwater, with all this gear on… Faith wasn’t so sure he could do it.
“At my whistle, begin!”
The whistle blew, and Faith leaped into the water. Finding the bottom was easy enough, as the weight of his equipment brought him straight down. He touched the bottom of the pool with his hands, and pushed off towards the 50 meter marker… and went almost nowhere. He floundered a bit, making almost no progress, and barely made it to the surface again before he ran out of breath. He managed to thrash he way back to the edge of the pool and, gagging, grab hold of the side.
“Candidate Faith, you are a no-go at this event,” he was informed. Faith waved his hand in acknowledgement
A short time later, Faith found himself at the head of the line in a large indoor pool. The right side of the pool contained a mockup of a Blackhawk helicopter, suspended about ten feet above the pool by a large metal arm that was anchored to the ground. On the left side of the pool, separated by floating line, the candidates waited for the instructions for their next event. The initial excitement of assessment was starting to wear off, and fatigue was settling like a blanket over Faith’s brain. He shook his head vigorously to clear it as an instructor dressed in black fatigues began speaking.
“Candidates! At the sound of the whistle, you will enter the water. You will then touch the bottom of the pool, and swim 50 meters, submerged, to the designated end point.” The speaker gestured to a floating line in the distance. “Your flight helmet must remain on your head for the duration of this event. Observe the demonstrator.” At this, another instructor leaped into the pool, sank to the bottom, pushed off, and effortless swam underwater to the designated end point.
Faith looked apprehensively at the water. Dressed now in light-weight body armor, flight suit, and boots, his body felt absolutely leaden. His flight helmet was soggy, ill-fitting, and smelled mildly of mildew. 50 meters wasn’t a long distance, but having to do it all underwater, with all this gear on… Faith wasn’t so sure he could do it.
“At my whistle, begin!”
The whistle blew, and Faith leaped into the water. Finding the bottom was easy enough, as the weight of his equipment brought him straight down. He touched the bottom of the pool with his hands, and pushed off towards the 50 meter marker… and went almost nowhere. He floundered a bit, making almost no progress, and barely made it to the surface again before he ran out of breath. He managed to thrash he way back to the edge of the pool and, gagging, grab hold of the side.
“Candidate Faith, you are a no-go at this event,” he was informed. Faith waved his hand in acknowledgement
Not with all that gear he's wearing! How can the 16th expect anyone to go the distance underwater wearing all that crap? The guy specifically said he had to keep his flight helmet on... wtf...
Daedalus
Verified Military
Just have to use the under-water hook-shot and reel yourself to the other end of the pool...I thought everyone was issued those.
You don't get the cool-guy stuff until AFTER you pass assessment... which for Faith isn't looking very likely right now.
Similar threads
