Yet another installment, this one about the final weeks of training and on morality.
As my 8 months of physical and mental anguish were coming to an end, the army decided to give us all a reminder that, yes, it can get harder. Prior to last week, we had two weeks of suffering on a level hitherto deemed impossible. We had a week of urban warfare training, which, despite the interesting aspects of sneaking around and knowing which angles to cover and where to shoot, also involved an unreal amount of running and crawling in full gear. Not just the regular amount of full gear, but also a ceramic bulletproof vest. The training was carried out literally in the middle of nowhere. The IDF built a mock Arab town in the middle of the Negev, complete with mosques, homes with various layouts, couryards, streets, alleys, sewage pipes, multi-apartment complexes. We lived in the desert near the "village", with no sleeping bags and no tents, and we trained all day and all night in the "village" itself. We ate like pigs (yay!), but we had approximately 2 to 3 hours of sleep per night, interrupted by guard duty. Considering that we were in heavy gear for 20 hours per day, most of it in the sweltering heat, it was a new level of pain for us. If one could block out the constant sweating and the unending back and leg pain, one could have noticed that we all became quite good at coming around corners in as unnoticable a manner as possible, and that in an urban combat situation luck is still the most important factor.
The following week was "war week", which was spent out in the Judean Hills close to our training base. This week was meant to simulate a full week in an actual war. We slept 2 hours per night, again interrupted by guard duty. We ate one meal per day, and walked all day and all night, each carrying between 80 and 100 lbs of gear. Due to my G-d given skills, I am in the forward scout team for the battalion, meaning that my team of four people has to navigate the movement of larger forces, lead them to their respective locations, and reconnoiter new ground. The conditions were tough - viciously hot during the day, dry and cold and night. The ground was hilly, rocky, and exceptionally thorny. Aside from walking for about 10 hours per day, we also stopped periodically to attack random hilltops. This meant that the slow pain of walking with heavy weight was transformed into explosive effort of sprinting and crawling up hills, shooting at various targets along the way. We were also engaged from time to time by enemy forces, and had to chase them for a good half hour at a painful jogging pace. When you're dead tired, running after someone with all your gear, only to then find the energy for an all out burst of speed as you "kill" them, it takes a physical and mental toll that requires sleep. And sleep, of course, was something you're not allowed to get during "war week." Of course, at the end of every engagement, a few people would be "injured" and that can only mean one thing - carrying them on stretchers for long periods of time, until your shoulders want to fall off.
Despite the pain and exhaustion, there were many interesting points. We were flown in a helicopter a few times and we did a joint exercise with tanks and heavy mortars. Watching heavy weapons churn up a hillside while helicopters circle overhead dropping smoke grenades and firing heavy machine guns, it was kind of like being in a movie. Of course, no matter how good the bombardment is, at the end of the day, it's the foot soldiers that still had to find the stamina to go forth and take hills, taking out the remaining targets and laying final claim to captured ground. To add to the overall crappiness of the week, we also had to put on our gas masks at various junctures. A gas mask is a hot, sweaty situation with a serious lack of oxygen. Wearing one while climbing hills in the heat of the day for hours on end is utter hell. At the end of the week, we peformed a "withdrawal" back to base, different from other hikes in that we were low on water and half a dozen people passed out. Of course, we had several people pass out during the week from exhaustion, but 7 guys losing consciousness in a four hour hike - you can tell it wasn't a walk in the park. Add to that the injuries and the people who simply gave up, and only about 70% finished the week. Pretty good, all in all.
This past week we have been cleaning up the dorms, handing over equipment that belongs to the base, and those with not-so-perfect Hebrew like myself have been taking classes to improve reading and writing skills. Of course, after all that we have gone through, what really matters in these Hebrew classes is that we spend the entire day in a nice air-conditioned room. What the little 19-year old "Hebrew teacher" is trying to say is of secondary importance. Aside from some morning runs with full gear, we've been spared any real pain. This "hapshanut" or slacking, went on all last week and will go on for another week. Two weeks of sleeping well, eating very well, and no sign of being out in the field. Heaven. We have one big massive march to do at the end of next week, but since it's the last thing in training, no one is particularly worried about it.
With regard to morality - why does the human being need any set of moral standards whatsoever? Because devoid of any sense of morals, the human is basically an animal with a more evolved brain. Morally correct behaviour is what allows societies to exist, as members of those societies interact with one another in ways that allow for expression beyond food, sleep and sex. Of course, the real question is - What are these morals? Who determines them? Are they black and white or open to interpretation? Can they be changed? How do we decide when, if or how to alter our moral standards? All good questions that I can easily answer with the greatest document ever to see the light of day. I am sure my regular readers know what I am getting at. I will discuss further in my next post.
On a side note of great importance, my life here in Israel will, in one week's time, be made fuller and richer by the arrival of one of my closest friends. He will join me in this endeavor we call Zionism and together we will build a better Jewish homeland and a more elevated Jewish existence. Why not aspire for the best? Israel isn't just about mouth-watering shwarma, smooth hummus, white beaches and clear torquois water. Although, living here is such an investment of one's energies and time, that enjoying the perks is definitely part of the package deal. Shabbat Shalom to my readers, and to those of you who know what I am talking about - get on Facebook. You can't fight the digital future.
As my 8 months of physical and mental anguish were coming to an end, the army decided to give us all a reminder that, yes, it can get harder. Prior to last week, we had two weeks of suffering on a level hitherto deemed impossible. We had a week of urban warfare training, which, despite the interesting aspects of sneaking around and knowing which angles to cover and where to shoot, also involved an unreal amount of running and crawling in full gear. Not just the regular amount of full gear, but also a ceramic bulletproof vest. The training was carried out literally in the middle of nowhere. The IDF built a mock Arab town in the middle of the Negev, complete with mosques, homes with various layouts, couryards, streets, alleys, sewage pipes, multi-apartment complexes. We lived in the desert near the "village", with no sleeping bags and no tents, and we trained all day and all night in the "village" itself. We ate like pigs (yay!), but we had approximately 2 to 3 hours of sleep per night, interrupted by guard duty. Considering that we were in heavy gear for 20 hours per day, most of it in the sweltering heat, it was a new level of pain for us. If one could block out the constant sweating and the unending back and leg pain, one could have noticed that we all became quite good at coming around corners in as unnoticable a manner as possible, and that in an urban combat situation luck is still the most important factor.
The following week was "war week", which was spent out in the Judean Hills close to our training base. This week was meant to simulate a full week in an actual war. We slept 2 hours per night, again interrupted by guard duty. We ate one meal per day, and walked all day and all night, each carrying between 80 and 100 lbs of gear. Due to my G-d given skills, I am in the forward scout team for the battalion, meaning that my team of four people has to navigate the movement of larger forces, lead them to their respective locations, and reconnoiter new ground. The conditions were tough - viciously hot during the day, dry and cold and night. The ground was hilly, rocky, and exceptionally thorny. Aside from walking for about 10 hours per day, we also stopped periodically to attack random hilltops. This meant that the slow pain of walking with heavy weight was transformed into explosive effort of sprinting and crawling up hills, shooting at various targets along the way. We were also engaged from time to time by enemy forces, and had to chase them for a good half hour at a painful jogging pace. When you're dead tired, running after someone with all your gear, only to then find the energy for an all out burst of speed as you "kill" them, it takes a physical and mental toll that requires sleep. And sleep, of course, was something you're not allowed to get during "war week." Of course, at the end of every engagement, a few people would be "injured" and that can only mean one thing - carrying them on stretchers for long periods of time, until your shoulders want to fall off.
Despite the pain and exhaustion, there were many interesting points. We were flown in a helicopter a few times and we did a joint exercise with tanks and heavy mortars. Watching heavy weapons churn up a hillside while helicopters circle overhead dropping smoke grenades and firing heavy machine guns, it was kind of like being in a movie. Of course, no matter how good the bombardment is, at the end of the day, it's the foot soldiers that still had to find the stamina to go forth and take hills, taking out the remaining targets and laying final claim to captured ground. To add to the overall crappiness of the week, we also had to put on our gas masks at various junctures. A gas mask is a hot, sweaty situation with a serious lack of oxygen. Wearing one while climbing hills in the heat of the day for hours on end is utter hell. At the end of the week, we peformed a "withdrawal" back to base, different from other hikes in that we were low on water and half a dozen people passed out. Of course, we had several people pass out during the week from exhaustion, but 7 guys losing consciousness in a four hour hike - you can tell it wasn't a walk in the park. Add to that the injuries and the people who simply gave up, and only about 70% finished the week. Pretty good, all in all.
This past week we have been cleaning up the dorms, handing over equipment that belongs to the base, and those with not-so-perfect Hebrew like myself have been taking classes to improve reading and writing skills. Of course, after all that we have gone through, what really matters in these Hebrew classes is that we spend the entire day in a nice air-conditioned room. What the little 19-year old "Hebrew teacher" is trying to say is of secondary importance. Aside from some morning runs with full gear, we've been spared any real pain. This "hapshanut" or slacking, went on all last week and will go on for another week. Two weeks of sleeping well, eating very well, and no sign of being out in the field. Heaven. We have one big massive march to do at the end of next week, but since it's the last thing in training, no one is particularly worried about it.
With regard to morality - why does the human being need any set of moral standards whatsoever? Because devoid of any sense of morals, the human is basically an animal with a more evolved brain. Morally correct behaviour is what allows societies to exist, as members of those societies interact with one another in ways that allow for expression beyond food, sleep and sex. Of course, the real question is - What are these morals? Who determines them? Are they black and white or open to interpretation? Can they be changed? How do we decide when, if or how to alter our moral standards? All good questions that I can easily answer with the greatest document ever to see the light of day. I am sure my regular readers know what I am getting at. I will discuss further in my next post.
On a side note of great importance, my life here in Israel will, in one week's time, be made fuller and richer by the arrival of one of my closest friends. He will join me in this endeavor we call Zionism and together we will build a better Jewish homeland and a more elevated Jewish existence. Why not aspire for the best? Israel isn't just about mouth-watering shwarma, smooth hummus, white beaches and clear torquois water. Although, living here is such an investment of one's energies and time, that enjoying the perks is definitely part of the package deal. Shabbat Shalom to my readers, and to those of you who know what I am talking about - get on Facebook. You can't fight the digital future.
posted by Felix at
4:22 AM
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