CAST TD-9: Nice BOD!

Well, except for one permanently stained uniform and a slightly sore knee (I'll explain directly), I came through Combat Airman Skills Training relatively unscathed. Today was marked again by high heat and humidity, which forced CADRE to make us remove our battle rattle. Good for us, because our exercise today was the Box Of Death [insert sinister music here]. The BOD is little more than an 8-foot by 8-foot (by 4-foot tall) box wherein 10 of us played the enemy while four teams, in four scenarios, were instructed to perform medical care under fire. After each scenario, we switched places. There were a total of 7 teams: 4 performing CUF, 2 playing the enemy, and one resting. It was actually kinda fun, but looking back at the beginning of CAST, I'm confident we would have been clueless.

Both the care givers and the enemy were armed with paint ball guns, and if I haven't already said, you don't want to get hit by one, 'cause it stings, and leaves a welt. Most of us got tagged a few times (I got it in the neck, back, ankle, knee, and calf). One problem was that at any distance over about 25 yards, the paint balls curved precipitously. Not that it mattered, most weren't aiming very much, and we all looked like Rambo shooting from the hip. OK, maybe that was just me. Another problem was that the guns were prone to misfire, presumably because of the ammo they used before they switched to a wax and chalk round. Whatever it was before, it made it very frustrating because it's loads of fun to raise welts on your friends, and I was repeatedly denied that small pleasure.

The best aspect of this day is that we turned in our M-4s this morning, so we are now unencumbered as we traverse the camp. Once we get in country, we'll all be required to carry our duty weapon, but mine is an M-9 (hand gun), so it'll be in a holster, leaving me hands-free.

The big talk of the past two days has been the destruction of Touchdown Jesus by lightning. Well, that and the discovery of a rattlesnake outside Tent Q. It was the snakes misfortune to be discovered because today the staff relieved him of his venom-delivery apparatus, along with the rest of his head.

Double feature tonight: Spy Game and Sherlock Holmes. I've seen both, so it gives me an opportunity to catch up on email and Facebook, and get my laundry all done. All that's left to do is pack and be ready to load the bus after lunch tomorrow. Short day tomorrow, but still an 0530 wakeup.