Land Navigation

Today we're doing land navigation. In fact, I'm sitting on the ground waiting with my squad to head out into this unknown forest of skinny trees and flat terrain (at least, flatter than what I'm used to). Our squad leader is an E1 while many of us our E2's and E3's. I'm just glad I'm not the leader...I was worried in the beginning because I'm a higher rank. Looks like Fort Jackson doesn't work that way.

We have to find five points in only a couple of hours. We will probably be stuck eating MREs (they're instant meals that could probably be edible after a 100 years sitting on the shelf). Don't ask me how, but the chemicals in this little plastic bag becomes instantly hot when reacting to water. I'm very curious to see what I'll get...and what goodies too. Some of this have lots of goodies, like power bars or M&Ms, some don't have any.

Woot! We just got some hot soup! That'll give us some energy for the three hours of walking around. Just as I was next in line to get coffee (the first time we've ever gotten it), it was out. Figures. :( Anyway, I hope we pass with at least finding 3/5 points.

Five minutes to go. Ah, my squad's laughing at me for writing letters every where I go. Jerks :) Oh, it's time to go!

12:10 PM

Whew, thank God we're done! Unfortunately we only got two points. Our team is full of immature young people anyway. Some tried taking control and didn't let anyone else look and understand the map and compass. Many are from the hood, used to relying on only themselves. Some of us, that's me, were at a loss at land navigation and tried to follow whoever was "leading." I got to know one of the males though, and he is a nice guy.

We did have a class on land navigation yesterday, but it was about 120 people fitting into one small classroom. I swear to God it was inhumane! I'm dead serious when I say that we lost feeling in our legs. It hurt. It was a sped-through class and we were suffering the whole time. The other land navigation classes were held outside in the freezing cold and I couldn't see the white board the DS was using to illustrate his points. Thus I didn't learn very much at all.

Well it's 12:40 right now and most of our company's back.