THIS IS MY M4 RIFLE WITH AIMPOINT (RED DOT) SITE ATTACHED DURING MY CLASS INSTRUCTION ON BASIC RIFLE MARKSMANSHIP-1.The good news is that its the end of week 2 here in Ft. Benning. 5 weeks left with only about 4 of those being actual training. I'm starting to enjoy it. We will start and complete M4 rifle firing at the range all next week. We'll get to fire at night using night vision and lasers and during the day using aimpoint red dot sites. I'll look forward to that but not of course, to being out in the hot humid GA weather all day at the range. Have I mentioned I hate Georgia in the winter....AND the summer? Oh I did? Good.
Today we got Combat Life Saver certified, which ended with us taking a written exam and having to administer and IV to one of our fellow Lts. Karma caught up to me when I showed up to the class late and had to sit by the Russian speaking foreign Lt from the former Soviet state of Georgia. Yes the OTHER Georgia. Many of my fellow officers laughed at me when they saw my disgust of having to sit by him and thus be partnered with him for the IV practical.
They laughed for several reasons. First, he doesn't really act like he wants to be here. I think this gentleman's officer's course is a bit more structured and intense than anything in his country. (No wonder the Russians invaded them and the Georgian Army couldn't defend itself. Most countries' people just don't have the American fight and pride.) For normal U.S. soldiers this school is a vacation. Secondly, he's never motivated. Plus he doesn't have any visible veins in his arms! Yes veins are necessary to get the IV needle into. He doesn't have any. When it came my turn to administer the IV I inserted the needle and didn't get any blood in the flash chamber. I swear I aimed for what I thought was a vein. Apparently not. Yes I tried probing for a suitable vein with a tourniquet on his upper arm and got nothing. So I pulled it out and blood came out of his arm. LOL. He got mad. I told the instructor/test observer I wanted someone else with arms that had veins. My awesome sergeant cadre volunteered and I went through the practical with flying colors.
Unfortunately I still had to let him insert an IV in me. It went ok, natural. I'm a superman in case you didn't know? He didn't do it perfect. I'm surprised he even got most of it done properly to begin with since he doesn't speak very good or understand English all that well. I now have a little blood bubble under the skin on my right arm where he inserted the needle and catheter for the IV.
In a few weeks we are going to be doing Squad Live Fire. This is where we assault and objective and actually fire live rounds very closely to each other. I'm praying that he doesn't somehow end up getting put in my 4th squad from his normal 3rd squad. You see, in any training cycle there is always at least one or two people who have no business being around or handling anything that could be used as a weapon. Need I say more.
LT Schultz out.
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