Update:
Graduated the Basic portion of OSUT on Friday, now I am on a pass for the weekend as we head into the Infantry specific training starting Tuesday for the next 7 weeks. So far we have focused on setting a solid military foundation to build upon with basic classes in DNC, Combat lifesaver stuff, rank structure and all the other basic things like that. We finished up the Basic portion with three and a half weeks of rifle marksmanship. I was one of three guys in my 188 person company to shoot 40/40 on the marksmanship qualifications, so I will be getting a badge and a ribbon for that. The next seven weeks consist of...
Next week, we will be getting familiar with firing the M249 SAW, the M240 Bravo, which I was assigned, fuck its heavy, the MK-19, and the .50 cal machine gun. So I am chomping at the bit for this upcoming week. We also have a combatives day, pugils, and grenade throws.
The week after we will do Buddy Team Tactics, buddy live fire drills, stress shoots, reacting to fire above our head, which they call nick @ night, and an 8 mile ruck with kit.
Following week will be Squad Team Tactics, clearing houses, riding in bradleys and a stryker, and some other cool things like combatives within clearing houses, using our rifle as a non lethal weapon and such, as well as a short field training type thing over night. To finish that week we will do a 12 mile ruck in kit.
That will conclude blue phase and we will move to prepping for our Field training exercise, we will have a few days of prep, then we will spend 5 days, 4 nights in the field over the Fourth of July, doing what I am assuming is a simulated version of living in a combat zone. They haven't been super specific about what it is, all I know is we will be moving a lot, trenching into our location once we get there, and setting up tactical points to respond properly to combat. My platoon has come to agreement we are going to do a 3 point system with crew serve weapons at every point, but that could change. We get blanks to fire off in massive numbers with basically a precise laser gun system and vest to simulate deaths and what not.
We will finish off our FTX with a 9 1/2 mile bayonet march which will consist of moving random objects over that distance using team work, like milk crates filled with grenades, water jugs, litters with equipment, so on and so on.
After the FTX, we are basically done. We will have a cross rifle ceremony, which I am hearing our drills are all about doing the blood rifle ceremony, as well as a final 5 mile formation run. The remainder of the 2 weeks consist of recovery, cleaning our TA-50, and getting ready for turning blue and graduation.
That is my update for now, didn't talk much about what we did the first two months because it was pretty boring actually. Looking forward to learning what I came here to learn now!!
I did receive my orders as well..... I am headed to the 25 Infantry Division, Tropic lightning, over in Oahu, Hawaii. I have been told two things; I am super lucky, and I am super unlucky. Luck because Hawaii, unlucky because the Jungle training is treacherous. Anyone have advice, experience, or whatever else to say about it? I will be bringing my wife with me, I know she is stoked.
