For this week, as a special treat (note sarcasm), I am sitting through a class on a software suite that we may end up using in country. Unfortunately, the instructor has a tendency to place the same importance on trivial details of the software as he does on significant parts of the software. He spends a lot of time explaining things that a person that is somewhat computer literate should know or reasonably be able to intuit. It's boring, but I've been told that a couple other classes I'm scheduled for will build on this one, so I do my best to pay attention.
The class has actually been kind of fun--today we learned how to use the software for tracking units. This involves creating a new little icon for your unit then placing it on a server so everyone else on the network can see where it is. The downside to this is that anyone can then move it around at their leisure. Were we to use this in country, obviously you would only move a unit to a different location if they actually called in and gave an updated PosRep, or position report. Then the appropriate authority would move that unit to the new location, and everything would be good.
What it looks like in class, though, is that everyone makes a couple units to start then starts moving everybody else's units around. I made a unit to represent Von Braun's V2 rockets and placed them on Germany, then spent the next ten minutes moving them back to Germany every time they'd get moved to the Pacific Ocean or Antarctica. I also made a unit for Sputnik and placed it over the U.S. That one actually stayed in place. Hmmm...
In our next exercise, I made an aircraft carrier and placed it off the shores of Pendleton. (The directions for the exercise said we were supposed to make a different type of unit that was nothing close to an aircraft carrier. I've been changing the exercise directions at my leisure. Why would you want to have fifteen overlays that look exactly the same? Oh, wait. This is the Marine Corps... ) Two minutes later: "Sir, you just moved my aircraft carrier to the land." "Oh, that was yours?" I moved it back to the water.
I'll try to find some fun training stories to tell over the next couple of weeks, but our training options are somewhat limited right now, so don't get your hopes up. I am working on getting both of my books ready for purchase--both my long novel that I finished before OCS, and the one I wrote for National Novel Writing Month last November--but I'm not quite there yet. Look for that post in the next couple of weeks. :-)
30 March 2010
24 March 2010
What is it I do around here again?
Most of the interesting training is already done. On Sunday we took a bus back to Camp Pendleton, where we will train until we actually leave for Afghanistan. Coming down from 29 Palms, we had three busses for two platoons. My entire platoon was on a bus, and the other platoon and company staff had the other two. Space was a little cozy, but it was just our platoon, so we didn't mind.
Our three buses lasted until our rest stop, about forty-five minutes into the trip. The seal for the windshield on the bus wasn't holding, and the window was starting to pop out at the bottom. We split our platoon between the two other busses, and I ended up right over a wheel well. I rode the remaining two hours with my knees up at my chest, watching the southern California countryside roll by.
I've been in charge of my platoon for a week and a half now, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is that platoon commanders do. I can think of plenty to do, but what can I contribute to the platoon? My platoon sergeant had things running pretty well before I got here, and I know if I was yanked out tomorrow for something else things would continue to run just fine. But I'm slowly carving out a spot for myself.
We sat down for a platoon staff meeting yesterday--myself, my platoon sergeant, and four of my six sergeants. One was on leave, but I didn't know where the other one was, so I asked my platoon sergeant.
"Oh, I have him doing Sergeant things, ma'am," he said.
I looked at him suspiciously. "Sergeant things" could easily mean any number of things, many of which would be not work-related at all. But I let it go. I'm quickly learning the rules of being a platoon commander, which seem to focus as much on what not to say, what not to do, and what not to know as it does what to say, what to do, and what information to gather. I thought the filter between my brain and my mouth was pretty good, but it's getting some fine-tuning right now.
I suppose I'm already getting a little jaded, but the Marines make it worth it. I asked them all to fill out some information about themselves and their families, and one of the questions I asked was what in their life are they most proud of. One of them said his moral and ethical integrity, and when I talked to him today he was quite serious about it. I've got some good Marines.
Our three buses lasted until our rest stop, about forty-five minutes into the trip. The seal for the windshield on the bus wasn't holding, and the window was starting to pop out at the bottom. We split our platoon between the two other busses, and I ended up right over a wheel well. I rode the remaining two hours with my knees up at my chest, watching the southern California countryside roll by.
I've been in charge of my platoon for a week and a half now, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what it is that platoon commanders do. I can think of plenty to do, but what can I contribute to the platoon? My platoon sergeant had things running pretty well before I got here, and I know if I was yanked out tomorrow for something else things would continue to run just fine. But I'm slowly carving out a spot for myself.
We sat down for a platoon staff meeting yesterday--myself, my platoon sergeant, and four of my six sergeants. One was on leave, but I didn't know where the other one was, so I asked my platoon sergeant.
"Oh, I have him doing Sergeant things, ma'am," he said.
I looked at him suspiciously. "Sergeant things" could easily mean any number of things, many of which would be not work-related at all. But I let it go. I'm quickly learning the rules of being a platoon commander, which seem to focus as much on what not to say, what not to do, and what not to know as it does what to say, what to do, and what information to gather. I thought the filter between my brain and my mouth was pretty good, but it's getting some fine-tuning right now.
I suppose I'm already getting a little jaded, but the Marines make it worth it. I asked them all to fill out some information about themselves and their families, and one of the questions I asked was what in their life are they most proud of. One of them said his moral and ethical integrity, and when I talked to him today he was quite serious about it. I've got some good Marines.
17 March 2010
Rock Star
You thought we didn't have rock stars in the Marine Corps? Let me explain otherwise.
We just returned from two days in the field. Our first night was a quick excursion to a forward operating base. We were up early the next morning and off for a patrol that took the entire day. We covered just shy of 100 miles, going probably 10-15 mph the whole way. The "roads" frequently seemed to me to be more places that a lot of other vehicles had driven then actual roads in the desert. We learned to brace ourselves when our driver told us it was going to get bumpy. There was more than one time when I bounced off the seat, my kevlar bounced off my head, and then we all came crashing back down a second later.
We got "hit" with an IED once the first day. The instructors stopped us as we patrolled, told us what had happened, and then evaluated us as we responded to the event. So the first day was a lot of travel and very little action. We slept out under the stars last night. There weren't enough tents to go around, but it wasn't cold, and the stars were out in force. Both the milky way and the little dipper were easy to pick out; this was the first time since I got here that I've seen the little dipper. Breakfast this morning was an MRE, but I ate it as I watched the sun rise over the desert. There isn't a much better way to start a day.
The day got hectic pretty quick. We had been traveling for about five minutes this morning when one of our vehicles spotted an IED. We responded to the incident, cordoning off the road, setting up security, etc., and called EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) to reduce the device. Our second scenario was a bit harrier--one of our vehicles had been hit by an RPG and had three casualties, the vehicle was blocking our exit from the "kill zone", or the location where the enemy wanted us, and we had a VBIED attack approaching from the rear.
This scenario, more than either of the others, gave me confidence than I'll be an effective leader in country. Frequently, when approach something new and difficult--attending school at Mudd, Cycle Oregon, OCS, etc.--there's always a moment where I realize that I can, indeed, meet the most recent challenge. This scenario was that moment for me today. I didn't always know exactly what was the best thing to do at the moment, and I made some mistakes, but I kept my cool and kept working even when my heart was pounding, and was an asset and not a liability.
The second scenario ended with us calling in a chopper and moving the casualties onto the bird. We mounted up in the vehicles and kept pushing. Our third scenario was a chain IED that hit multiple vehicles at a time and required that hook the vehicles up to tow them out. We also received fire from a tank on the other side of the valley, which required calling for artillery fire to suppress the threat.
One of my Sergeants was in charge of the call for fire, which is a procedure that requires knowledge of both how to locate the target knowledge of the correct radio procedures to request fire from the artillery battery. This Sergeant had never done the call for fire before, but was very close to the target on his first call, and was able to hit the target with only one small correction.
This feat earned him a very enthusiastic label of "Rock Star" from the Major that was observing the exercise, and I have to agree. Sergeant Rock Star was also dealing with comm issues as he was calling in the fire request--our radios have been used by many, many units for training here out at 29 Palms, and they had a tendency to not work at times. His performance was impressive, and one small example of the outstanding performance of all of my NCOs over this field exercise.
I've been here--five?--days now? I've lost track. But I've started to get to know some of my Marines, and they are an outstanding platoon. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
We just returned from two days in the field. Our first night was a quick excursion to a forward operating base. We were up early the next morning and off for a patrol that took the entire day. We covered just shy of 100 miles, going probably 10-15 mph the whole way. The "roads" frequently seemed to me to be more places that a lot of other vehicles had driven then actual roads in the desert. We learned to brace ourselves when our driver told us it was going to get bumpy. There was more than one time when I bounced off the seat, my kevlar bounced off my head, and then we all came crashing back down a second later.
We got "hit" with an IED once the first day. The instructors stopped us as we patrolled, told us what had happened, and then evaluated us as we responded to the event. So the first day was a lot of travel and very little action. We slept out under the stars last night. There weren't enough tents to go around, but it wasn't cold, and the stars were out in force. Both the milky way and the little dipper were easy to pick out; this was the first time since I got here that I've seen the little dipper. Breakfast this morning was an MRE, but I ate it as I watched the sun rise over the desert. There isn't a much better way to start a day.
The day got hectic pretty quick. We had been traveling for about five minutes this morning when one of our vehicles spotted an IED. We responded to the incident, cordoning off the road, setting up security, etc., and called EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) to reduce the device. Our second scenario was a bit harrier--one of our vehicles had been hit by an RPG and had three casualties, the vehicle was blocking our exit from the "kill zone", or the location where the enemy wanted us, and we had a VBIED attack approaching from the rear.
This scenario, more than either of the others, gave me confidence than I'll be an effective leader in country. Frequently, when approach something new and difficult--attending school at Mudd, Cycle Oregon, OCS, etc.--there's always a moment where I realize that I can, indeed, meet the most recent challenge. This scenario was that moment for me today. I didn't always know exactly what was the best thing to do at the moment, and I made some mistakes, but I kept my cool and kept working even when my heart was pounding, and was an asset and not a liability.
The second scenario ended with us calling in a chopper and moving the casualties onto the bird. We mounted up in the vehicles and kept pushing. Our third scenario was a chain IED that hit multiple vehicles at a time and required that hook the vehicles up to tow them out. We also received fire from a tank on the other side of the valley, which required calling for artillery fire to suppress the threat.
One of my Sergeants was in charge of the call for fire, which is a procedure that requires knowledge of both how to locate the target knowledge of the correct radio procedures to request fire from the artillery battery. This Sergeant had never done the call for fire before, but was very close to the target on his first call, and was able to hit the target with only one small correction.
This feat earned him a very enthusiastic label of "Rock Star" from the Major that was observing the exercise, and I have to agree. Sergeant Rock Star was also dealing with comm issues as he was calling in the fire request--our radios have been used by many, many units for training here out at 29 Palms, and they had a tendency to not work at times. His performance was impressive, and one small example of the outstanding performance of all of my NCOs over this field exercise.
I've been here--five?--days now? I've lost track. But I've started to get to know some of my Marines, and they are an outstanding platoon. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better.
15 March 2010
Outside the Wire
My company wasted no time in getting me in training. My first day, Saturday, was a little slow; I did a lot of reading, talked to the platoon, and tried to get myself oriented to the training environment. I felt a little useless, as my fellow platoon commanders and my platoon sergeant were spending all of their time planning for our next exercise. I'm not familiar with the training environment, the platoon, or the exercise, so my ability to contribute to the planning is fairly limited. I received a little friendly harassment from our company staff--typical practical joke on a new Lt--so I'll have to do a little thinking over the next couple days and figure out an appropriate way to return fire.
Fortunately, yesterday was not slow. I was tasked with writing my own plan for the exercise, I went over the training I'd gotten at TBS with our ops chief to see what training I still need, and my platoon sergeant spun me up on the vehicles we have and their characteristics and capabilities. Our ops chief interrupted us to give me a brief on the training areas so that I could head out with the mission my platoon ran last night.
Our mission last night was not complicated: we provided a security escort for a road improvement mission. I shadowed my fellow platoon commander, trying to learn the details of the coordination required to successfully run a mission and get an idea of the difficulties that could come up and how to handle them. We did not expect to receive (simulated) enemy contact, so it was a good preparation for the next mission we'll do.
During the mission I spent time manning the radio for our vehicle. I somehow managed to make it through both TBS and engineer school without ever talking over a radio, so yesterday was the first time I'd ever made a radio transmission. The procedures take a little getting used to--I think there were several times when I spoke to soon after hitting the mike button, and my transmissions got cut off--but overall I didn't mess anything up too badly.
We're heading out again tonight for a two-night/two-day mission, which will be a combined patrol and resupply mission. We do expect to receive (simulated) enemy contact on this mission, and the second day of the mission will be a live-fire exercise. I will be going as an observer again, which is good because I'm certainly not ready to run a mission yet. Yesterday's mission gave me a good dose of confidence in the training I've already had, and I'm sure this next mission will do the same.
Fortunately, yesterday was not slow. I was tasked with writing my own plan for the exercise, I went over the training I'd gotten at TBS with our ops chief to see what training I still need, and my platoon sergeant spun me up on the vehicles we have and their characteristics and capabilities. Our ops chief interrupted us to give me a brief on the training areas so that I could head out with the mission my platoon ran last night.
Our mission last night was not complicated: we provided a security escort for a road improvement mission. I shadowed my fellow platoon commander, trying to learn the details of the coordination required to successfully run a mission and get an idea of the difficulties that could come up and how to handle them. We did not expect to receive (simulated) enemy contact, so it was a good preparation for the next mission we'll do.
During the mission I spent time manning the radio for our vehicle. I somehow managed to make it through both TBS and engineer school without ever talking over a radio, so yesterday was the first time I'd ever made a radio transmission. The procedures take a little getting used to--I think there were several times when I spoke to soon after hitting the mike button, and my transmissions got cut off--but overall I didn't mess anything up too badly.
We're heading out again tonight for a two-night/two-day mission, which will be a combined patrol and resupply mission. We do expect to receive (simulated) enemy contact on this mission, and the second day of the mission will be a live-fire exercise. I will be going as an observer again, which is good because I'm certainly not ready to run a mission yet. Yesterday's mission gave me a good dose of confidence in the training I've already had, and I'm sure this next mission will do the same.
13 March 2010
29 Palms
After two and a half years of training and waiting, I am finally a Platoon Commander. Yesterday I spent 13 hours traveling, starting in Eugene and ending when we pulled into Camp Wilson at 29 Palms. Unfortunately, I can't jump into training right away because I don't have the proper briefs for the training areas here. I can't get the proper briefs right now because it's Saturday, but I'll get them Monday morning.
Just a quick description of the camp. Mojave Viper, which is the name for the whole training package that the Battalion is going through, is run out of a permanant camp that's based on K-spans. These look like drainage pipes turned upside-down on concrete pads, maybe twelve feet high and twenty yards long. Last night it was colder inside than it was outside because the concrete sucks all the heat out of the air. The women in my Battalion have one K-span for our barracks, and we're sleeping in sleeping bags on cots. The mess hall and heads are standing buildings, and they've thoughtfully provided other ammenities such as laundry facilities, a PX (post exchange, or convenience store), and an E-club that has (extremely slow) internet access, from which I am posting this.
These living conditions aren't that bad. For our field exercises, we'll be sleeping on foam mats (if we sleep at all), have MREs for chow, and the great outdoors for heads. Or maybe there will be blue rooms provided, but certainly no showers. We'll be here for another week, and then we'll head back to Camp Pendleton, where we'll be in barracks very similar to the ones I lived in at Engineer School. I'm still trying to figure out my routine and how to handle all my stuff. I forgot both my shower shoes and my comb when I went to shower this morning--you can bet I won't forget tomorrow!
Our unit has been put together from multiple separate units. Our company has two platoons from the Eugene unit and a bridge platoon from a unit out in Camp Lejeune. "Bridge platoon" simply means that the unit specializes in bridge construction--they have extra training specific to bridges, and some additional equipment. [Side note to show you how small the Marine Corps is. I met the platoon commander for bridge platoon way back in Dec '07, the day I went through my medical screening to determine if I could even go to OCS. Two years later, we're headed to Afghanistan together.] Our company is attached to a battalion from Okinawa, Japan. And I am by far not the only 2ndLt around here; there are a few other 2ndLts and a few 1stLts as well.
My first field exercise will start Monday evening and last two days. It's a convoy with a live fire range at the end, I'll be shadowing my Platoon Sergeant (PltSgt), who's been the platoon commander for my platoon while I've been gone, and the bridge platoon commander. It sounds pretty intense, so I'm glad I'll have a chance to observe before I'm expected to actually execute. I have been trained on everything we're doing, but I've never actually been the one calling the shots. In all of the field exercises I was on at TBS, someone else was always in charge of the whole platoon. I was occasionally in charge of my squad or my fire team, but it's a very different experience when you're the one in charge of the platoon.
My platoon has been getting some good training while I've been waiting. Yesterday they returned from a 10-day field exercise, so they've been doing a lot of sleeping and weapons maintenance since then. Within that 10-day exercise, which was for the entire company, my platoon participated in a single-day exercise. Each exercise is monitored and graded by permanent personnel, and on the platoon-specific exercise they scored a 98/100, which is phenomenal. I'm very proud of them and have a high degree of confidence in my PltSgt and other NCOs.
I'm very excited to finally be here! I'm catching some flack from the other officers and NCOs for being away for so long, but whatever. It's time to get to work.
Just a quick description of the camp. Mojave Viper, which is the name for the whole training package that the Battalion is going through, is run out of a permanant camp that's based on K-spans. These look like drainage pipes turned upside-down on concrete pads, maybe twelve feet high and twenty yards long. Last night it was colder inside than it was outside because the concrete sucks all the heat out of the air. The women in my Battalion have one K-span for our barracks, and we're sleeping in sleeping bags on cots. The mess hall and heads are standing buildings, and they've thoughtfully provided other ammenities such as laundry facilities, a PX (post exchange, or convenience store), and an E-club that has (extremely slow) internet access, from which I am posting this.
These living conditions aren't that bad. For our field exercises, we'll be sleeping on foam mats (if we sleep at all), have MREs for chow, and the great outdoors for heads. Or maybe there will be blue rooms provided, but certainly no showers. We'll be here for another week, and then we'll head back to Camp Pendleton, where we'll be in barracks very similar to the ones I lived in at Engineer School. I'm still trying to figure out my routine and how to handle all my stuff. I forgot both my shower shoes and my comb when I went to shower this morning--you can bet I won't forget tomorrow!
Our unit has been put together from multiple separate units. Our company has two platoons from the Eugene unit and a bridge platoon from a unit out in Camp Lejeune. "Bridge platoon" simply means that the unit specializes in bridge construction--they have extra training specific to bridges, and some additional equipment. [Side note to show you how small the Marine Corps is. I met the platoon commander for bridge platoon way back in Dec '07, the day I went through my medical screening to determine if I could even go to OCS. Two years later, we're headed to Afghanistan together.] Our company is attached to a battalion from Okinawa, Japan. And I am by far not the only 2ndLt around here; there are a few other 2ndLts and a few 1stLts as well.
My first field exercise will start Monday evening and last two days. It's a convoy with a live fire range at the end, I'll be shadowing my Platoon Sergeant (PltSgt), who's been the platoon commander for my platoon while I've been gone, and the bridge platoon commander. It sounds pretty intense, so I'm glad I'll have a chance to observe before I'm expected to actually execute. I have been trained on everything we're doing, but I've never actually been the one calling the shots. In all of the field exercises I was on at TBS, someone else was always in charge of the whole platoon. I was occasionally in charge of my squad or my fire team, but it's a very different experience when you're the one in charge of the platoon.
My platoon has been getting some good training while I've been waiting. Yesterday they returned from a 10-day field exercise, so they've been doing a lot of sleeping and weapons maintenance since then. Within that 10-day exercise, which was for the entire company, my platoon participated in a single-day exercise. Each exercise is monitored and graded by permanent personnel, and on the platoon-specific exercise they scored a 98/100, which is phenomenal. I'm very proud of them and have a high degree of confidence in my PltSgt and other NCOs.
I'm very excited to finally be here! I'm catching some flack from the other officers and NCOs for being away for so long, but whatever. It's time to get to work.
09 March 2010
At Long Last
I've been mobilized, and I have orders. I fly down to Southern California on Friday morning.
07 March 2010
Drill
I had hoped to be integrated with my unit by now, training with my platoon at 29 Palms. The Marine Corps had other ideas. Hurry up and wait.
Due to administrative delays--the root cause of which isn't known to me--I'm still in Oregon waiting to head down to California. Since I've been waiting for a week, and have probably another week to go until I can get down there, I've been looking for ways to occupy my time. The Marines from my unit that won't be deploying came in for drill this weekend, so I volunteered to go to the field with them.
Drill this weekend was held up at Fort Lewis in Washington. I've been asking a lot of questions about how things work around here, so I was told that most field drills are held in Oregon, but this month we were in Washington. For our unit, there were two items on the schedule for this weekend: a live-fire range, and gas chamber training.
The live fire range was pretty fun, even though my weapon was not BZO'd for me. A BZO, or Battlesight Zero, is a procedure that ensures that your weapon does not have any consistent errors in shooting. This accounts for any manufacturing characteristics or defects of the weapon but also the individual shooting the weapon. Every shooter holds a weapon differently and has a slightly different body position with respect to the weapon. Therefore, a BZO for one person will not guarantee that the next person can also hit dead center. The weapon I was using was BZO'd for someone else, which was my excuse when I missed the target.
Regardless, the range had pop-up targets at 75, 175, and 300 yards that would stay up for several seconds at a time and fold down when you hit them. I found I was more successful with the 300-yard targets than the 175-yard targets, I think because the 175-yard line required a slight change to my body position that didn't allow me to reach my natural point of aim in the time allocated. I still enjoyed putting the rounds downrange, though.
The gas chamber is not that bad, and much better than it was a TBS. The purpose of gas chamber training is to teach you to don and clear a gas mask without actually breathing any of the gas or getting it in your eyes. To this end, the training exercise involves donning a gas mask and going into a chamber filled with CS gas. You first ensure that your mask is working properly and adjust whatever is necessary to ensure you aren't breathing gas. Next, the instructor has everyone "break the seal", or allow gas to get into the mask. This is the worst part, because you are waiting while the instructor checks that everyone has gas next to their face. I close my eyes and hold my breath for this part. Then the instructor calls, "gas, gas, gas," and you quickly re-seal your mask, clear the gas out, and check to make sure you are breathing fresh air.
The first time I did this, at TBS, we repeated this three times to make sure we'd gotten the hang of it. Today was refresher training, so we only did it once. I also noticed today that the gas wasn't as strong as it was when I did it at TBS. At TBS, I noticed gas burning on my neck about 30 seconds after I walked into the chamber. Today I didn't feel that at all.
Gas chamber training isn't pleasant, but it's certainly necessary, because Marines need to be prepared to fight in any environment. It also wasn't very unpleasant--I've been through other training exercises that were much less fun. Today's exercise had an added bonus in that I got to attend the Battalion Sergeant Major's re-enlistment ceremony inside the gas chamber.
The cause of the administrative delay has been resolved, but that does not mean my wait is done. The current plan is that I should be in California by the end of the week--we'll see how it all plays out.
Due to administrative delays--the root cause of which isn't known to me--I'm still in Oregon waiting to head down to California. Since I've been waiting for a week, and have probably another week to go until I can get down there, I've been looking for ways to occupy my time. The Marines from my unit that won't be deploying came in for drill this weekend, so I volunteered to go to the field with them.
Drill this weekend was held up at Fort Lewis in Washington. I've been asking a lot of questions about how things work around here, so I was told that most field drills are held in Oregon, but this month we were in Washington. For our unit, there were two items on the schedule for this weekend: a live-fire range, and gas chamber training.
The live fire range was pretty fun, even though my weapon was not BZO'd for me. A BZO, or Battlesight Zero, is a procedure that ensures that your weapon does not have any consistent errors in shooting. This accounts for any manufacturing characteristics or defects of the weapon but also the individual shooting the weapon. Every shooter holds a weapon differently and has a slightly different body position with respect to the weapon. Therefore, a BZO for one person will not guarantee that the next person can also hit dead center. The weapon I was using was BZO'd for someone else, which was my excuse when I missed the target.
Regardless, the range had pop-up targets at 75, 175, and 300 yards that would stay up for several seconds at a time and fold down when you hit them. I found I was more successful with the 300-yard targets than the 175-yard targets, I think because the 175-yard line required a slight change to my body position that didn't allow me to reach my natural point of aim in the time allocated. I still enjoyed putting the rounds downrange, though.
The gas chamber is not that bad, and much better than it was a TBS. The purpose of gas chamber training is to teach you to don and clear a gas mask without actually breathing any of the gas or getting it in your eyes. To this end, the training exercise involves donning a gas mask and going into a chamber filled with CS gas. You first ensure that your mask is working properly and adjust whatever is necessary to ensure you aren't breathing gas. Next, the instructor has everyone "break the seal", or allow gas to get into the mask. This is the worst part, because you are waiting while the instructor checks that everyone has gas next to their face. I close my eyes and hold my breath for this part. Then the instructor calls, "gas, gas, gas," and you quickly re-seal your mask, clear the gas out, and check to make sure you are breathing fresh air.
The first time I did this, at TBS, we repeated this three times to make sure we'd gotten the hang of it. Today was refresher training, so we only did it once. I also noticed today that the gas wasn't as strong as it was when I did it at TBS. At TBS, I noticed gas burning on my neck about 30 seconds after I walked into the chamber. Today I didn't feel that at all.
Gas chamber training isn't pleasant, but it's certainly necessary, because Marines need to be prepared to fight in any environment. It also wasn't very unpleasant--I've been through other training exercises that were much less fun. Today's exercise had an added bonus in that I got to attend the Battalion Sergeant Major's re-enlistment ceremony inside the gas chamber.
The cause of the administrative delay has been resolved, but that does not mean my wait is done. The current plan is that I should be in California by the end of the week--we'll see how it all plays out.
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