This past week found me at a base near Haifa as my unit prepares to take up a new "kav" assignment on the Lebanese border. Before every kav, a week or two is taken to train a unit on the specifics of their new operational assignment. We did the same thing before going to Shchem in October. So, for Tzanchanim's six month assignment on the border with Lebanon, what exactly does the IDF do to prepare us?
Honestly: I. Don't. Know.
We arrived at base on Sunday afternoon. (We had been given a few extra hours to return because we came home so late on Friday.) From that evening until Thursday afternoon, we did the following:
-a buchan plugah, company test: ran two kilometers with combat vests and guns, then another kilometer with stretchers, then a shooting test (see video)
-a buchan tzefa, battalion test: ran three kilometers, then a shooting test
-zeroed in our rifle sights
-short workout circuit one evening involving pushups, sit-ups, calf raises, etc.
-lessons to learn about mines and other anti-personnel weapons; first aid; and anti-missile detection systems
-the regiment commander toasted the lone soldiers and thanked us for our service and gave us Pesach gifts of a 250 shekel gift card
-discussed what happened in 2006 that precipitated the Second Lebanese War, as we are going to be at the same base where the soldiers that came under attack and were captured
-practiced responding to an attack on our base
(Video: we run two hundred meters, crawl ten meters, then run back 190 meters. Then shoot six bullets, three in kneeling and three in prone, at a head target forty meters away. All of this is two minutes and forty-five seconds. Not very difficult. It was fun to do it with my sleeves rolled past my elbows; I cut up my arms and elbows a bit when I crawled. It's good to feel some pain everyone now and then; never good to become to comfortable.)
It may seem like a lot, but considering we had four full days for all of this, there was a lot of standing around doing nothing. In many ways, this was a frustrating week to be in the army. There was such a case of "rosh katan" (small head) that it became frustrating. This refers to the stupid and silly things we do on almost a daily basis. For example, for our next kav assignment, they want everyone to know how to shoot the MAG, the heavy machine gun. It's been my weapon for the past eight months. Everyone was to take five shots with it. They wanted me to shoot as well. Why? Because they had to check everyone off a list as saying they shot. I've shot literally thousands of rounds. Why five more? Just because.
On Thursday, every lone soldier in the gdud (battalion) was getting off early to clean their apartment before Pesach. Every lone soldier, that is, except for the ones in my company. Why? Again, no reason. It was frustrating because I live with four religious guys and we had to clean our apartment, sell our chametz (non-kosher for Pesach food) and do this all before Friday. And I was gonna be with just one other roommate, Shmuel, before he left for his seder on Friday morning. It was a whole big megillah to get off just a few hours early. We had to fight for the right to leave when really our commanders should have been happy to let us go before everyone else. They go home to a house where their mothers or fathers have cleaned everything, sold their chametz, and they can just chill and have a good time. Lone soldiers return to an empty apartment, need to clean, buy food for however long their stay will be, and then, if there's time, to rest. It was a fight to get off, but me, Shmuel, and Jesse were able to leave a few hours early.
For Pesach, I had seder by Shmaya's place. His parents were in town and he was happy to have me, as I had no place else to go. Unfortunately, he's Chabad orthodox, so we didn't start our seder until about eight in the evening, and finished around 1:30 in the morning. Fortunately, it was a great experience. Shmuel and I returned the next day for lunch. (Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Krinsky!)
Then today I had off as well. In the Diaspora, Jews keep a two day chag (holiday) for the first days of Passover. I was given this day off as I follow the customs of my country, and I have not made aliyah, so I am still 100% American (hell ya!). I came to Tel Aviv and enjoyed a few hours on the beach. Going to iChat with my parents in a few hours and return to base tomorrow morning.
Shmaya and Jesse are out of the army now. A few weeks before the end of a soldier's service, he is released from his unit to spend the time at home. Then he is officially released from the military. This period is called "chofshash." Shmaya and Jesse, as they are serving fourteen months, are already in chofshash before they "mishtachere" (release) from the army on April 19th. It's the beginning of the end. They are the first to go, then go Shai and Aaron (two lone soldiers in a different company), then me and Adam. My time here is almost up.
No comments:
Post a Comment