Monday, October 7, 2013

Recruit Yost - Weeks 11 & 12


The light at the end of the tunnel….

While I realize that a week into the second half of this program is a bit soon to start seeing the finish line, I can’t help but acknowledge that we are getting closer and closer to being sworn in.

We finished our firearms program with 100% pass rate.  That is a very exciting fact.  After some painstakingly hot and uncomfortable range days, our training paid off.  Personally, I have come a very long way from when we first began the program.  Some 96 hours later and having expended an inordinate amount of ammunition, we all officially rock.

  Typically in these types of social environments you would expect to see cliques form and some dissension amongst the recruits.  We have avoided that for the most part.  Of course, if you belong to a certain agency you feel a push to associate with others from said agency but we have managed to form a relatively strong bond throughout.  The recruit camaraderie been a blessing in the last few weeks as we have seen one recruit leave the program and others get close to that point. 

We took another “fit test” this week to gauge how far we have come since the start of the wellness program.  We all improved.  Some of us improved by leaps and bounds while others made mild improvements but all the same, we are better than before.  Since we did so well we are getting some freedoms bestowed upon us by our gracious instructors. Woot!

In other news, we are nearing the portion of the program where we get to be exposed to some less than lethal weapons… Simply put, we are about to get sprayed in the face with OC.  I can’t express how anxious I am about it.  Being prior military, I spent some time getting “familiarized” with OC in the form of a gas chamber and some sadistic Drill Sergeant’s “OC can on a stick” routine when soldiers found it difficult to stay awake.  I want to make sure I am being clear in my tone: I am legitimately nervous because of my previous encounters with OC, but I understand the relevance of this impending exercise and I am attempting to put a facetious spin on my anxiety. 

In summation, same rules apply: don’t get lazy, don’t be arrogant, keep learning…

I’ll let you know how I handle my stint with the spray.

 

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