I Smell Terrible

Today was a crazy but productive and enjoyable day.

I took a combat marksmanship class that focused on the M4, our service rifle. It is sad to say but after two tours in Iraq, this is the first time I've actually run around in full kit during the daytime heat.

It's hot. Even wearing a combat shirt, a thinner uniform with thinner t-shirt material under where your armor is, I still sweat like, um, something that sweats a lot. Unfortanately, after this much time working with the Army, I am unable to think of metaphors that can be posted on a family blog.

So now my combat shirt looks like it was dunked in a pond. A smelly smelly pond.

I drank many bottles of water and chugged a bottle of Gatorade but have peed only once. Knowing my luck, I'll have to wake up multiple times during the night as my body catches up with all the water. Oh well.

In order to fit the course in to my schedule I came in early and had to take a few breaks from the class to get my work done. It's annoying when the actual war intrudes on my training time, but such is the nature of the beast.

The other folks in the JOC were both encouraging me to hit the course and jealous that I was able to escape and have some fun. I guess it is an advantage of being a forecaster... I should know when I'll be able to step out.

The course itself focused mostly on some intermediate-level drills. It wasn't really new material, but it was presented in new ways and with a few new methods.

They say that amateurs practice until they get it right and that professionals practice until they can't get it wrong. That as evident in how the course was taught. The drills are pretty universal. But the more highly trained units run through them more often.

I always learn something new during this type of training, which is great. Even more importantly, I think, is the opportunity to refresh and sustain these skills. As an officer, especially an officer in the Guard, these opportunities are too rare. Muscle memory is frighteningly perishable.

I realize now that I'll just need to block time both here and at home to do dry fire practice in order to build and maintain the all important muscle memory. It isn't a perfect solution, but will go a long way towards maintaining my skills.

The other nice piece is that I may get the chance to help coach if they do this course again while I'm here. I'm not really ready to teach yet, but I'm confident that with some assistance I can run many of these drills for my guys back home.

The final advantage of having gone to this course was the ability to test out my equipment set up. It is always a work in progress as you learn new tricks, exchange ideas, and better mousetraps become available. In this case, it was my first chance to really beat up my sight from my rifle back home. I also get to test my new sling, which is really just a adjustable length piece of webbing attached to the shoulder of my armor.

So, all in all, a good day.

Except for rolling over my glasses. But I bent them back in to shape.