Back from LDAC

I have returned from LDAC and have already begun life as an MS IV cadet. My new rank and position is Cadet Major and I will be the Battalion S3 for a while. There will be more on that later but I won't be getting into it right now.

I have many, many stories from LDAC, which I will be putting up shortly as well when I find out my place on the national OML (which I've been told I will be finding out by next Monday, August 25).

Fireguard

This may seem like common sense to some, but to those of you going to LTC, odds are you don't have any military experience whatsoever.

In the Army, someone has to be awake at all times in the barracks no matter what. In case someone falls off a bunk or a fire miraculously springs up from somewhere, it's the Fireguard's duty to wake everyone up and let the Drill Sergeant on CQ (charge of quarters) duty know. You also have to clean the barracks everyday, and the best time to do this is at night while you're on Fireguard. The best method to do this is create a rotation cycle.

Example: My platoon bay at LTC started First night, first shift fireguard duty as the two people in the bunk on the right side of the room. Hour two were the people next to them down the line, and so on and so forth. This way, you're not stumbling through the dark wondering where the next fireguard is sleeping and waking up the wrong people. Also, this way no one complains about having to do the duty, since it's a cycle and everyone gets their lumps.

Now for cleaning, we also made a rotation. Hour one had to sweep the floor, hour two had to mop the floor, hour three had to sweep the halls, hour four had to mop them, hour five had to clean the bathroom, hour six had to mop it. Then everyone woke up.

That's just one man's way of doing it. It was pretty damn efficient though and I recommend it, only because it cuts down on the bitching factor.

My buddy is Air Assault

I just called my friend down at Knox and he's officially Air Assault. Hopefully I'll be able to get him to write a few things down here about his experience at a different Air Assault location.

Parental Feedback

Keep the feedback rolling in, ladies and gentlemen. My site traffic is going up everyday and I'm getting some good emails from all of you. There's no such thing as a stupid question, I want to help you. Most readers are cadets who want some advice and reassurance going into Air Assault, things I never had (except for a few words from my buddy who went the year prior to me).

One of the best emails I've gotten so far, however, came from a mother who has a son at Air Assault right now. She just wanted some insight as to what her son was going through and what to do come graduation day. I was more than happy to help.

I'm just some cadet from New York and the fact that my word is at least helping some of you keeps this site fresh.

Ruck, ruck, ruck!

I have been getting a lot of emails about preparation for the 12-miler at Air Assault. My advice to those people is always the same: ruck, ruck, ruck! Ruck heavy and ruck often. If you take a look at the packing lists in the previous post, the ruck at Air Assault is not that heavy, maybe about 30 pounds, 35 the most. However, when you train for it, I'd train with at least 45 pounds. You don't know what the terrain is going to be like at your school. If it's Camp Smith, you know from me that the terrain sucks and the hills are brutal. My friend who is down at Fort Knox right now tells me he's doing his 12-miler on an air strip (or so he currently thinks) so it will be largely flat. Having the extra weight in your ruck while you train will make your rucking experience at Air Assault that much easier.

When training, hold yourself to the Army standard of 15 minutes per mile (try to finish each mile in at least 14) and work yourself out from there. Be comfortable with a ruck on and have boots that are well worn in. That will make your life so much easier at Air Assault.

For the 12-miler at my school, we had an Air Assault Sergeant keeping the pace for passing. Meaning, if you were behind the Air Assault Sergeant with the flashing red light, you were failing and you had better pick it up. So if you need someone to motivate you while you're there, you have it.

As for a good general work out/ruck plan, I have found a great one in this book. It's called "Get Selected for Special Forces" and can be found here http://www.specialops.org/news.asp . Scroll all the way to the bottom and buy that book. All the proceeds go to a great cause and that book will not hurt you, I guaran-damn-tee it. In the back of the book, the authors give you a 30 day work out that includes a lot of muscle building, cardio and rucking. I'm currently on Day 4 of the 30 day plan and I'm loving it. This book is probably a smart investment, even if you have no aspirations of going into the SF at a later point in your career (but who doesn't want to go SF?)

Air Assault Packing Lists

A few readers have emailed me about Air Assault packing lists.

A quick google search for the 101st and Warrior Training Center yielded the following results:

For the 101st -
http://www.campbell.army.mil/aas/


For the WTC -
https://www.benning.army.mil/wtc/wtc/b/aaslt/index.htm

Remember, you still have to know who is teaching your school so you know which packing list to use, and their website MIGHT not have been updated, but those should give you a good look into what a ruck will feel like at Air Assault school.

Question about Air Assault and LTC

Cadet Aaron Naiditch emailed me and asked me this question. In accordance with courtesy and respect, he has given me permission to recreate his original email here.

"I was just curious as to what you thought of LTC. I am not attending it, since I have been contracted since freshman year. Also, what made you decide to join ROTC in the middle of your college career? Was it difficult adjusting to it, after not being in the program the first two years?

thanks,"

Here is my reply:

"By and large, I thought LTC was a waste of time. I didn't really learn much I didn't already know, then again I did do ROTC for a year before I went to LTC. I started my cadet career as an MSII. However, I'm glad I went and I recommend as many people as possible to go if they can (even if you were a I or a II). As a result of LTC, I have already gotten on a plane and not know where to go when I got off the other side, so I won't feel so insecure about LDAC. I've already worked with a Zodiac and know some of the waterborne operations as a result. I know what it's like to forge relationships with people you've just met and work as a cohesive group. I've also learned things about myself having gone there.

I'm a New Yorker, (Queens, NY) born and raised. I'm a fast-talking, loud, sarcastic prick at times and I can and have pissed people off as a result. My usual attitude to people I pissed off was the New York one: "Fuck em." I have since learned this attitude is incorrect and have been striving to change that. I've met with some success and some failure. It's a slow process but it's a process nonetheless. I've stated before in earlier posts I didn't like my squad at LTC. We got the mission done and I learned how to work with people I don't like (and they didn't like me), but it's a much better process if you like each other. LTC taught me that and as a result has given me an leg up on LDAC, I believe.

And I joined ROTC in the middle of my college career after my freshman year. I had known I wanted to do it basically since sophomore year of high school. I tried to get into West Point, but family issues caused me to withdraw myself from candidacy. The same familial issues also caused me to not do ROTC in my freshman year of college. Everything happens for a reason, however. After going to Air Assault School with West Point cadets I have discerned I would have been miserable with the Academy lifestyle. I've grown so much as a person during my collegiate career and I have so much more to bring to the table now (as an Officer, of course), because I was in an environment that allowed me to make mistakes and learn from them. The structured society of the USMA would have been murderous to my development, in my opinion. Also, not being able to do ROTC in my freshman year caused me to go to LTC, which was a big help for me, so I have no regrets to date.

It wasn't that hard adjusting to cadet lifestyle in my MSII year. I had to learn how to go to sleep at a reasonable hour and work out on a regular basis, but everything else I ate up with a spoon. I love being in the Army and can't wait until I commission."