MAY EXTREME NAVY SEAL TRAINING
Mack with a very friendly and talented Production Crew arrived a day before Training began for the May guys. Same ole Mack, it was great seeing the intensity he brings to everything he does.
Mack could make cupcakes if he wanted to and work himself into a deep, raging concentration putting EVERY cell of his body into the task.
Just the way he is at every thing he does
We all blew to the airport to meet the guys arriving on Friday. All went well except three guys stuck in Newark that had endless delays getting here. To hear them tell it, I could run courses at Newark Airport and forgo all the water and pain associated with Hell Night here and still get the same effect.
Being stuck in Newark just kinda sucks
Doug returned for the May course after he did the April Course13-months before. 50-years old now, hes simply a Rock Star for his age physically. Mentally, hes just inspiring to be around and quickly establishes creditably as an all around strong, sharp competitor who is always In It To Win It.
19 guys total, Doug would lead the Class but he had plenty of switched on guys to help him.
Plenty of confusion on my part speaking with Mack and the producers by telephone about the show; they straightened me out when they arrived.
Seems Diane and I were wrong about their intentions and what the show was about.
Not being an arrogant guy I just assumed the show would be about the guys going through the course, as everyone who comes here has a story of why they come.
I figured theyd follow the guys through training and show the many successes, failures, and obstacles theyd overcome through the week.
Kind of how they changed, having spent some time around this NIGHTMARE
I assumed WRONG
Turns out the show idea has everything to do about the Training and the guys, but the main focus would be on Diane, Fallon, Ben, and me. We were told to just be yourselves as they attached microphones to us and began filming everything we did and everything we said.
We struggled with the idea for a few minutes as the reality of it all set in and decided Oh well, lets do this thing
I know one thing for sure there wont be much money in it after they are forced to purchase expensive stabilizers for each camera as the guys manning them spent each moment here laughing out of control with much camera shaking from that fact.
Theyll also be forced into buying some high speed, super powered European Bleep machine to edit the tirade of endless expletives that shoot from my mouth 24/7
Hell Night began at 0800 on Saturday with a 500-meter pool swim for the SEAL PFT Test and it also brought the first question of the day after its completion.
Asked by one of the guys who showed me his hairy leg while pointing to something stuck to it; he queried, What are these things?
A very simple question, it required a very simple one-word answer from me and I quickly replied, Leeches.
With all doing well at the PFT, the hero for that evolution became a tough Cop from Philly, who STRUGGLED, but completed the swim.
Im sure many guys thought wed HAMMER him for being a sack of nuts in the water; they were surprised when he received much praise from the SEAL Cadre.
All SEALs admire strength in a guy and the dedication it took to get that strength, but we equally, or admire more, the guy who struggles but wont quit no matter what.
Well-done Cesar, keep working on that swimming
Team Building until lunch AKA ASS BEATING, the exhausted bunch ate and caught a quick nap in the sun while the Cadre prepared for the afternoon events. A beautiful day in May for this Class; the April guys suffered an intense cold a month before. Fortunately for the May guys it was beginning to warm up and the afternoon would bring 100% humidity and 94-degree temperatures that scorched them
Half the guys went with Instructor Ben and Fuch for Over the Beach Training, while the other half learned every conceivable way to wipeout, destroy, disfigure, maim, cripple and mutilate someone from Future Weapons Mack.
VERY simple stuff, Mack showed each man that they already knew almost everything they needed to know to quickly dominate and win fights.
Hard to explain in an email what Mack did except to say that he forced them into situations and asked them to not think about it just to react naturally and react slowlyyyyyy
Amazing stuff, he proved that each guy in the Class already knew street fighting, they just didnt know it
WEIRD, deep receded in your brain STUFF Mack mind-melted them into killers
Taking frequent dips in the pool to cool off, the groups switched and we ended the afternoon with a Log-PT. Instructor Chris, needing to blow off a little pent up steam from his recent return from Iraq whacking Booger Eaters, POUNDED the Class in a demonic session that had some of the Instructors wanting to quit from its intensity.
Helping Chris run the evolution was Instructor Dillon.
Six Instructors worked Hell Night here; one of them was 13-year-old Instructor Dillon. Enduring a terrible fight with cancer, young Dillon had Officially earned the title of Navy SEAL by the Commanding Officer of SEAL Team TEN.
An Honor very seldom bestowed on anyone, Dillon helped out where ever he could but mainly he spent the day yelling in the bullhorn calling the guys in the Class pussies.
Taking a few minutes with the Class, Dillon explained how he was informed he had cancer and the endless battle he fought and continues to fight.
One TOUGH kid, he received a round of applause from the inspired Class and quickly grabbed his bullhorn.
I dont think anyone minded his endless bullhorn insults, as the Class knew he was just a little boy having a little fun, in an otherwise terrifying life spent with a dreaded disease.
WELL DONE May guys
Back at the cabin for a great evening meal, the Class was half way through Training and the scorching sun had taken its toll. Teaching proper camouflage techniques to the punchy bunch, I used Dillon as a guinea pig and we slapped his face full of cammie paint and did a few concealment demonstrations.
Mack took Dillon behind the cabin to shoot Dillons new gun for a while. With Dillon being a HUGE Mack fan, it was a very big deal getting a private shooting lesson from Mack and it ended with a shooting contest where Dillon soundly SPANKED Mack after the bullet holes were counted up.
Im sure Mack might have thrown a few rounds for Dillons benifit though
I booted the Instructors out of the cabin and began to brief tonights Operation. Very demanding, none of the Instructors would be told what the Class was planning to do. Simple in concept, it was dangerous, but wed trained for Over the Beach Operations that day and tonight wed see how the whole Teamwork thing worked out.
Paddle to the dark, distant Target on the Northwest River.
Observe Enemy activity and watch for a routine the Bad Guys established.
Launch two Swimmer Scouts to Recon the Target.
Swimmer Scouts signal the Assault Force in with red-lens flashlights.
Launch the Assault before midnight.
Kill all Enemy personnel on the Target.
Wait a minute One more thing You guys gotta capture Mack alive
At the You gotta capture Mack alive, all heads in the Class were on swivels.
Mack put on quite a show that day of just how fast, violent, and scary he could be when confronted, and nobody jumped with joy at the thought of confronting him at night.
As it settled in though, the thought of perhaps losing a few teeth in a Mack May Lay was overshadowed by the glory of Bragging Rights at being able to say I went a few rounds with Mack.
Normally the Class takes out Instructor Ben during this particular exercise. Ben unfortunately had a few broken ribs sustained during the April AOT Course and hadnt quite healed. We didnt tell Mack, but Bens ribs were broken during a Training Exercise by one seriously PUMPED UP and blindfolded student who threw one serious elbow in Bens direction
As the Class launched three boats worth of Assault Force on a beautiful full moon, the Cadre and myself drove to the Target and began setting up.
Passing me Code Words on their progress that only myself and the Class understood, the Cadre began establishing patrols around the area every 15 minutes shining bright flashlights searching for them. As close as the patrols were time wise, the Class had their work cut out for them getting the entire Assault Force in position between patrols.
At 2359 the Assault began with surprising speed and from a completely unexpected area of the Target.
The Class had even fooled me and I was on their f**kin side
Perhaps the most fooled was Instructor Ben who was 10-feet from his weapon when the Assault began. He ran and grabbed it, but quickly realized hed been had and dropped to the ground with the other Bad Guys mumbling something under his breath.
No one was more impressed and surprised by the speed and skill as Mack was. His first course here seeing what a Team of dedicated and switched on guys could do in a few hours if they wanted to.
Mack figured the better part of Valor was to simply comply with the adrenaline filled Class who were SCREAMING for the encircled Mack to GET THE F**K DOWN.
I should have explained in detail to the Class that when telling someone to do something like GET THE F**K DOWN, that they should actually give that person a chance to do what their telling them to do.
Kinda like telling someone to DROP THE F**KIN GUN while youre unloading your pistol in his chest
Two guys dove at Macks ankles and hung on like pit bulls while a Class powerhouse took Mack down to the ground with a thud.
Being very comfortable around Mack, the guys joked later around a fire about taking him out. Being a very quick-witted guy, Mack replied back with, Good job getting me in close, but I can take you out at 1500-yards with one shot
The Class had proven early that they were here to win and could not be hurt. They were right, as nothing we did removed their ever-present smile for very long.
Everything we gave them was VERY lengthy and VERY painful and their Hell Night lasted longer that any weve ever done here because we knew they could hang.
In short the May guys took an unprecedented BEATING.
As Dillon squirted the hose in the face of one final victim giving his sinuses a deep cleaning, and Instructor Fuch closed Fuchs Caf, to the last sorry customer sent for his Blue Plate Special, the Class rowed the boats out of sight and we secured Hell Night a half hour later at my home.
All the SEALs gave Golden Handshakes in the early morning darkness and final words of encouragement and praise were dolled out for a job well done. The Class had stayed tighter than any before it and were given a punishing beating in a supreme attempt by us to break them apart.
It didnt work here, and it doesnt work in BUD/S either when a Class is strong.
Lesson learned: Stay as one, and nothing can hurt you
With all of us spent, we got a belly full of Dianes chow and napped for a half hour before meeting the Helo on a beautiful sunrise in the Virginia swamps.
I had seen Dillon wading in the pool to cool off on Saturday and asked his Dad if he thought it was OK if Dillon got wet in his condition. With the attitude only a Dad has who has seen his Son suffer so much, he replied while shaking his head, Whats it gonna hurt, Don???
With that I asked, You care if I throw him out of the Helo?
Just like in SEAL Team, when youre a new guy and afraid of the hairy evolutions every SEAL before you has been afraid to do, you gain an extreme sense of calm from all the veterans around you who are PUMPED UP for it.
It BLEEDS into you, and soon you are just as jacked up as the other SEALs and ready to do it. The fear is gone
Dillon was a little scared at the thought of jumping from the Helo that morning and it was noticeable, but being around all the JACKED UP guys soon had him grinning like an idiot at the thought of doing it.
While the guys certainly helped him push past that fear, Dillon had done most of it himself by facing that fear the same way he had through so many painful and terrifying procedures.
I paired him up for the Helo Cast with Mr. Personality himself, Doug. I saw Doug and Dillon alone talking about what theyd do in the Helo and going over the proper Cast procedures.
With Dillon being so short, we worried during rehearsal that hed fall out trying to reach the Helo skids. The problem was corrected by one of the pilots who would turn around and hold his arm in flight while he slid into position outside the Helo.
With the cameras rolling, with Diane about to throw up from worry, with the entire Cadre, Crew and Class watching and cheering as the Helo thundered into view, Dillon skinnied on the skids while waving and giving a huge thumbs up and leapt from its heights into the chilly pool.
Over the drop zone, all I saw were big white teeth as he threw himself from the Helo and entered the water with a SPLASH.
His Dad avoided the camera in tears as Dillon and Doug swam ashore together and we graduated the Class a short time later.
WELL DONE to a caring bunch of guys who endured endless insults from Dillon during Hell Night
His Dad says he hasnt shut up about you guys yet
I rousted up all the guys on Sunday afternoon after Hell Night for Bens Tracking/Counter Tracking Course. The Class had kicked ass and earned a night off to finish getting back all the sleep that was lost during Hell Night, and there were plenty of sore muscles that needed a break as well
Moving to the Cabin to wake everybody up that afternoon, I felt beaten up mentally like I hadnt felt in years. Ben felt the same way and we spoke about it briefly in a, Damn dude, is your ass dragging to???
Ohhhh yeh was the response back from Ben?
Early in the Course, and after doing so many Courses over the years, I felt noticeably more SPANKED than any other Course Ive done before.
I saw the same look on all the guys and Diane as well.
While I paid little attention and just dismissed EVERY ONE of us being so tired, so early in the Course, Ive since reflected over the last days and realized this Class should be named the Ass Draggers.
While Ass Draggers would lead all to immediately think the Class was lazy, unmotivated, and just a bunch of unorganized individuals, quite the opposite was true of Class 0509.
As the week went on, and all of us became more Dopey by the day, I figured out that the Class was burning more Brain Cells than any Class had before it with a deep concentration, and deep desire to Get it right the first time, and they were Forcing Ben and me to keep up with them
While we all drug our asses throughout the week make NO mistake about it, the heat had been turned up by the guys in the Class and I felt like I was back in a SEAL Platoon and just dealing with another ass beating every SEAL enjoys so much.
I just ignored all of it like I had for so many years, and the Class ignored it as well by pushing hard to completion.
This Class meant to get their monies worth from me
I met Matto at sunrise with the well rested but still Dragging Ass Class, and began briefing him in private while the Class formed up for PT nearby. All the guys wondered on a chilly morning poolside, What PAIN will this morning bring?
I gave a quick Low Down to Matto on who he had for PT; their backgrounds, the ones going to BUD/S, and ones who were standouts regardless of why they were here.
I watched Matto introduce his impressive background and I left for a short stroll to the other side of the pool for a Reconnaissance of the next nights Target the Class would hit.
The pool was covered in an eerie, heavy mist as the sun rose, and my pants were soaked from my early walk in the high, dewy grass. I found what I was looking for; shot a few compass bearings, and walked back grinning like an idiot.
What I found was a hole in the chain-linked fence that surrounded the 100+ acres and would not be easily detected by the Booger Eaters wed encounter the following night.
Only two entrances into the pool; one from the East, and one from the West, and the Bad Guys easily defended them both.
Arriving back, I overheard something Matto doesnt give a lot of Praise
The Class had performed EXCEPTIONALLY well, and Matto was impressed. As they loaded the van to leave, Matto pulled me aside and was fired up from a great PT with the guys.
YAK, YAK, YAK, Matto went on about the guys. Tight Class, Fired Up, Motivated, YAK, YAK, YAK
I was beginning to see a trend.
The rest of Monday morning and afternoon was spent issuing gear, Bens Survival Training, and parachute training until supper.
Loading magazines with a full belly, the guys grabbed their weapons and began getting them sighted in the best way we know how. They shoot each other
Just something about the guys who come here: They all have a big laugh the more something hurts. Sighting in the airsoft weapons is a combination of pain and fun as the damn things sting like hell, but Ive found no better way to instill respect for the painful weapons and to find out where the things shoot except to shoot each other.
The guys get a little payback on each other as well
Going over patrolling techniques as the sun set, Ben had them begin their night patrol as the wet clouds obscured any illumination from the moon. Very dark and wet, the guys departed the Cabin and began a long muddy patrol that night that would end hours later with endless stories of a tough, dark, slippery patrol.
Nothing like the movies Movement at night is a bitch and the guys learned much that would help them through some tough patrols during the rest of the week.
After a few of Dianes leftovers around midnight, the Ass Draggers crashed hard for a few hours before meeting Matto again.
Sunrise found the guys in front of the Fired Up Matto again. Matto explained he was turning up the heat this morning for PT and demanded perfection in every exercise they would do. Ben and myself did another quick Recon and left to pick up a package the Class would need that morning after PT.
I returned an hour later to find the Class sitting in the leach pool while Matto congratulated them and answered questions.
Matto pulled me aside and said this was the best Class hed ever had for PT.
A HUGE compliment from Matto, its the same one Id been hearing since early into Hell Night from all the Instructors.
It was becoming clear that 0509 was a bit different
Back at the Cabin, we began Survival Butchering of the package I picked up, and issued much needed gear for the Operations that would take place over the next few days.
Wed insert this afternoon and not come out for a couple days of loving life in the thick Virginia swamps.
The Class always comes up with something creative for the Target assaults. The new Target was different and our options were limited as there were only two ways in.
While I normally let the Class come up with something weird to sucker punch the Booger Eaters on Target, tonight was gonna be tough after what the April Class did to them.
Theyd be ready for us, and I decided to lend a hand to the Class and strongly suggest what I thought would work for an effective assault
.
My suggestion was pretty simple; lets CHEAT
A small unit like a SEAL Platoon survives on cheating the other guy, and the Operations here are no different. Do what they dont expect you to do, come from an area they dont think you will come from, hit them when they think theyre safe
From us hitting them in every conceivable way in the past, the one thing weve never done, the one thing theyd never expect us to do, the one thing SEALs and Extreme SEAL Experience Trainees avoid at all costs, is doing the Operation in broad daylight.
Today wed insert a few hours before sunset, patrol a couple miles through some ugly terrain, set up some OPs (Observation Points), watch where the Booger Eaters set up and how many there were, establish a plan of attack, and execute that plan in total darkness.
Wed come through the hole in the fence I discovered and hit them from an area theyd never expect.
Problem is, and something every SEAL knows very well from past lessons learned; Expect the Unexpected. Expect just plain dumb luck from the Bad Guys
Today the Bad Guys would stumble right on top of us in a complete stroke of dumb luck on their part.
Unfortunately for them walking up on a few well concealed Trainees here in the dark is not a good thing and I quietly whispered to the Class Leader lying next to me, shoot him.
A second later all Hell broke loose
Diane had inserted us at 1800 along some railroad tracks South of the Target. A short distance later, we entered thick woods and I handed my compass to our young Pointman.
Zero or Hero for any Pointman, if they take the Patrol on a bad route, get lost, or overly extend the Patrol from confusion, it pisses everyone off and they never hear the end of it.
A good Pointman also has thick skin to ward off the many insults of Where the f**k are you taking us?
Ours for the Operation seemed like he was made for the job and he skillfully, and quietly got us where we needed to go. He even walked us up close on a group of grazing deer before they bolted.
Arriving at the Hole, the Class was placed in a thicket nearby and told to stay quiet, while the two Patrol Leaders began watching the Target and waiting for the Bad Guys to arrive.
They began to arrive 30 minutes before it got dark. They knew we always came at night and figured 30 minutes was all they needed to set up their defenses.
Satisfied he knew where all the defensive positions were established, the Class Leader entered the thicket and began briefing me and then the Class, while the other Patrol Leader continued to watch the Target keeping Eyes On.
A bit too early to make a plan yet, I decided to go up with him to have a look as well. Wed watch and wait until well past dark before doing anything.
Very close to the activity, we could hear all the commotion the Bad Guys were making, and the Class was told to Stay Quiet.
Moving slowly to the Observation Point, the Class Leader and I were met on the trail by the other Patrol Leader who had been left to watch the Target. Conversing for a few minutes, the two Patrol Leaders discusses options with us all on a knee in the shadows.
Feeling a bit vulnerable, I told them, Never take eyes off the Target once youve established a good position. As soon as you do, more guys will arrive, or the Target will change somehow, and you wont know it. Were also Danger Close and it wouldnt take much for them to move this way and wed never know unless we were watching.
Our second Patrol Leader quickly, but quietly, began moving back to the OP by the hole. As he arrived with us ten meters behind and following, he began waiving and moving into the prone position.
We had company
I saw the silhouettes moving along the fence a few meters from us. We slowly slid prone, and were unfortunately caught smack in the middle of the trail. With time to do only one thing, I turned my head slowly to the Class Leader and said, Shooot himm!
Three of the Booger Eaters had a stroke of dumb luck. Stopping a few feet in front of us, their radios crackled to their Booger Eating buddies that they had found a hole in the fence. The hole was big enough to drive a car through but had remained hidden from view unless you walked right on top of it.
While there was plenty of illumination left for us to clearly see them silhouetted by the sky, our position was along the dark trail in the deep woods and they couldnt see in.
They shined us with flashlights a few times but we just looked like logs lying there.
They would have left, but a possum was between them and the rest of the hidden Class. Hearing the possum scurrying around, they believed it was us and set up camp while we waited within feet of them ready to shoot the minute we were spotted
Much chatter between them about going down the dark trail, they believed we were there, but nobody had the balls to move into the darkness.
Lots of self control from the two Patrol Leaders, they could have shot any number of times but held their fire hoping theyd leave.
The cat and mouse went on for 15 minutes before one brave soul of a Bad Guy decided to turn on his flashlight and move down the trail. Our weapons had been pointed to them the whole time, and the Class leader opened up and shot Flashlight Boy in the head a half dozen times and scared the ABSOLUTE SHIT outta all three of them.
The remaining two began running and the Patrol Leaders gave chase for a short distance. The Target came alive with yelling and scrambling into defensive position, while I yelled for the Class to haul ass up to my position and get in the fight.
The gig was up they knew we were there
TEAMWORK and TACTICS wed lost the element of surprise and only had those two things to fall back on. Stay as one, and we win
Working together, it was decided quickly to meet them head on. Moving fast shoulder to shoulder, the Class began to overwhelm concealed positions of Bad Guys and 15-minutes later they had the Target secured
With powerful flashlights attached to each weapon, I enjoyed watching from a distance as any shot fired toward the Class, from any position, was immediately illuminated by every light in the Platoon and a hail of well-aimed BBs soon followed.
As we all gathered around the Bad Guy fire afterwards and shook hands, one of the Bad Guys remarked that they usually call this Operation Clubbing Baby SEALs. The remark meant that they usually Spank Us, on this particular Target.
Not tonight though, and the usually VERY critical Bad Guys dolled out buckets of praise for the guys saying they were the best Class theyve gone up against at EXTREME SEAL.
The Best Class thing again and this time from the Bad Guys
We loaded the Zodiacs a short time later and proceeded up the dark river to the Survival Area. Arriving, I showed the Class how to set up their hammocks and designated three areas for them to set up in.
The first group set up in the Dream Team area. Dream Team, because nothing bad ever happens to them
The second group set up in the Soup Group area. The Soup Group area only has a few bad things happen to them.
The third group set up in the Leper Colony.
I had said during the last Class that I would never again mention the Leper Colony after the April guys kicked so much ass. I couldnt resist though, and we began riding them immediately about all the bad shit that would follow them.
Ben got in on the action as well, and the Lepers were instructed that anytime they approached another camp, they were to alert the others by covering their mouths with their shirts and saying, UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN, as they approached.
With the hammocks up, the Class drifted into a deep sleep within minutes, and the camps became silent except for a couple Great Horned Owls who screamed throughout the night.
Getting a well deserved 30-minutes of sleep as the temperatures dropped, I woke to find each man huddled around a fire for the remainder of the night.
There would be no sleep for the Ass Draggers on this cold night
Up at sunrise, we began setting up shelters that would keep them warm the next night. With each man low on water, Ben showed them how to procure and sterilize water from holes they dug, while I prepared for some Survival Fishing
Wed use the Zodiacs and set well concealed Snag Lines, from low hanging branches along the River. During the May Class last year, the Bowfin were running hard in the River, and I hoped wed nail a few of the prehistoric beasts for dinner.
Bowfins are a big, nasty, slimy fish that live in the swamps. Called a Cypress Bass by the Cajuns in the deep South, Bowfins are considered a trash fish by many for us though, they were a meal, and I hoped wed nail a few
We put out 18 lines, and Ben led them to an area for cattails. Showing them how to procure the starchy plants, and what parts were editable, each man gathered a few for a meal back at camp. Gently pulling and digging up the roots in the thick mud, someone yelled, Snake!
What they should have yelled was, HUGE SNAKE.
With the bravado only found in youth, a very young, and very ballsy guy grabbed the monster and began wrestling him from the undergrowth.
Honestly the BIGGEST Snake Id ever seen around here before, I quickly yelled that it wasnt poisonous, but that it was one of the most aggressive Snakes we had in the swamps. Dont let it bite you cause its gonna try
The Snake repeatedly tried to nail its captor without luck; a fine meal, it was quickly killed and was a bit over five-feet of dinner
Snake and Cattail for supper all we needed now were a couple Bowfins to complete the meal.
The Lepers and myself checked the lines while the others prepped cattails and waited for our return.
Rounding a bend in the River, we could easily see a bush that contained one of our lines being THRASHED I didnt even need see the fish I knew we had a Bowfin; all we needed to do was get him in the boat.
Taking his time and slowlyyy working the monster up, one of the Lepers decided to just grab his toothy mouth and jerk him in the boat. Sustaining some sharp bites, he reached Hero Status, along with Snakeboy, by providing chow for the hungry Class.
When we finished fishing in the early evening, we had boated seven or eight of the massive fish, but kept only four of the beasts for supper.
Cleaning them at camp, we began a communal cooking of Snake, Cattails, and meaty Bowfin and ate like Kings.
As darkness fell, the Class was briefed on their final Operation and watches were set for the night.
Wed be up at 0300, and packed up and moving by 0330. Two thousand meters of a soupy Patrol, wed hit our final Target by 0430 if all went well.
QUIETLY raid the farm for food and get out undetected, wed have breakfast if we were lucky, and spend the rest of the day shooting the swamps to pieces with plenty of weapons
Typical of this Class they were packed and ready to go 10-minutes early on a dark cold morning
A deep concentration on each face as we began the long Patrol, 0509 was set to do it again
The Patrol to the Target was uneventful thanks to another young guy on Point, and the detailed planning of the Operation prior to its execution aided the Class in one of the fastest hits ever done here.
Leaving the Target with what we came for, we said goodbye to a really strong guy who was here for the Platoon Training, and the rest of us humped to the shooting area carrying a bunch of chickens and laden with guns.
A fire was started as the sun slowly began to rise and everyone huddled around its warmth and took a quick cap nap for 15-20 minutes. A couple HARD days had followed the Ass Draggers, and they had performed extremely well under pressure.
Up at 0300 with only a few hours of sleep in the tight shelters, they had already Patrolled 2000 muddy meters, assaulted a Target, and humped another 2000 muddy meters to the shooting area, and the day had only just begun.
They soon had chickens and potatoes cooking over the fire and Ben and myself set up the shooting courses quickly.
Briefing the four different pistols, we began throwing accurate rounds down range by 0800, and moved to a couple shotguns. Briefing the AR-15, we began shooting the Pointman and Shotgun Course a few hours later.
Getting everyone safely through, we blew up balloons and broke out the M-14, AK-47, and Mini-14, and ended the shooting around 1400.
With the range and Survival Area cleaned up and all weapons accounted for, the Ass Draggers loaded the boats and headed for Dianes hot, welcome, chow waiting at the Cabin
Free time in the pool that night, the Class had done well all week and relaxed for the evening. Get a good nights sleep theyd jump in the morning
The jumps were all completed by noon and we returned to the Cabin for the Graduation Party. Fuch and Chris showed up to answer final questions and congratulate the Class. The Class had worked hard on a Class song and belted it out in the Cabin after we graduated them.
Being the brunt of much of the entertaining song, Ill graduate the next Class after they sing and tear up the certificates if given a beating like 0509 gave me in the lyrics.
Very funny stuff the Class even put 100% into the song in their spare time just as they did with everything else they did through the week
0509 had some excellent leadership that helped them receive numerous reviews as the Best Class, throughout the week and much credit goes to the Class and Patrol Leaders for those successes but it was Teamwork that gets most of the credit.
Just one guy is all it takes to derail the whole effort.
One guy on his own program, one guy who cant focus, one guy who is always late and thinks only of himself, and Class 0509 could have gone from Best to Worst, in a nanosecond.
A supreme effort I learned much through the week myself