FHL Day 2

August 2, 2009
Fort Hunter-Liggett
Today was our first full day. After arriving around 1600 or 1700 hours yesterday, we couldn’t get much done. We got a short briefing last night of how things are going to be run here, and today was our first taste of it.
Our first few tasks to get ready for this whole deployment are to brush up on all the basics. We start with classroom instruction, then move into some ranges, and finally to the field scenarios. It’s basically a “crawl-walk-run” theory. By the time we leave FHL, we will all be as bad-ass as we were a few years ago. We just got our Improved Body Armor (IBA) vests today, so we’ll be running around with those on pretty much everywhere we go. We’re supposed to get all the rest of our gear tomorrow, which means it’s “game on” from here on out.
We had three classes today: SINCGARS, HEAT, and a class on the M9/M11 pistols. The SINCGARS training is for the radio systems. It’s the old-school radio, basically an 18 pound walkie talkie. A quick thirty minute class on how to assemble, program channels, and properly operate it and we were good to go. Next was the HEAT training, which stands for Humvee Egress Actuality Training. They have this sweet rollover simulator that teaches a soldier how to exit or egress a rolled over vehicle. Imagine a humvee on a remote control rotisserie machine with four soldiers inside and one in the gunner turret. They flip it around a couple times to disorient you, and then you have to safely exit from whatever position you’re in. It’s much more difficult than it sounds! Lastly, we had a few hours of pistol training with the M9 and the M11. The M9 is a Baretta, made specifically for the military. I’ve qualified and used this weapon in the field. While not the most powerful or accurate side arm, the M9’s components have just the right amount of tolerances between them to allow for debris to exist and still have the weapon function. Superior durability will always outweigh accuracy, at least in regular Army units. Any kind of Special Forces or Delta guy will pick any weapon BUT the M9, but it does the job for us regulars. We didn’t touch too much on the M11, which is a Sig with better accuracy and tighter tolerances.

-Mac