Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [38]
“On your FEET!” barks First Sergeant Carter. “The Alpha Company commander will now give you your indoctrination briefing. It will behoove you to give him your undivided attention. The captain has some essential word to put out, and if I catch you sleeping, you’ll answer to me.”
Carter moves away from the podium, and an officer of medium height and a crisp set of BDUs steps up to it. He has short dark hair, neatly trimmed and combed, and a mild, youthful air about him. He glances at the screen and steps to the center of the room.
“Take your seats, men.” His voice is soft, confident, and almost conversational. “If you feel sleepy, get up and stand in the back of the room. If you can’t hear me, raise your hand and I’ll speak louder. My name is Captain Shields, and my job over the next four weeks is to get you ready for Special Forces selection. I’ll do my job. My cadre will do their job, and I expect you to do your job. The purpose of this briefing is to let you know what we expect and what you must do to successfully complete this training and prepare yourself for selection—SFAS. There’s no silver bullet to this training, and there are no shortcuts. Pay attention and perform to the best of your ability, and you’ll do just fine. This is not meant to be a pep talk or to jack you up in any way, but I’ll give you some advice, up front. This is a hard course, as many of you know by now. There are standards you have to meet. If you want to successfully complete this course and move on to selection, then put everything else out of your mind and focus on training. Forget about your car, your cell phone, your girlfriend, your dog, your family, everything. If there’s a family emergency, we’ll find you and let you know. For now, think about nothing but training and doing your very best. It’s the only way to get through this course. It’s the only way to show us you’re ready to move on.”
Captain Jason Shields has been in the Army for ten years, half of that in Special Forces. He has a degree in international studies from the Virginia Military Institute. He was in 5th Group for four years and has made deployments to Kuwait and Uzbekistan. Shields was in Afghanistan with the first wave of Special Forces infiltrations following 9/11, and in Iraq before the 3rd Infantry Division and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force crossed the Kuwaiti border on their way to Baghdad. His father was a case officer at CIA, and he’s lived all over the world. Captain Shields has a fair command of Arabic.
Shields punches through a list of administrative and housekeeping matters that include uniforms, ID cards, musters, personal appearance, personnel inspections, barracks cleanliness, barracks inspections, and standards of conduct.
“Regarding conduct. You may be a new Special Forces student, but you’re still a soldier in the United States Army. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. A soldier does not lie, cheat, or steal. Do that and you’re history. It’s not tolerated in the Army, and we certainly don’t tolerate it here in Special Forces.
“During the first two weeks of this course you’ll complete your in-processing for the Special Warfare Center and School, conduct daily physical training and testing, conduct road marches, attend classes that will prepare you for the selection process, and begin classes in basic and advanced land navigation. The second two weeks you’ll continue with physical training and participate in the land-navigation practical exercises.” While Shields speaks, the PowerPoint slides follow him through the presentation. He pauses a moment and slowly paces the front of the room. “Regarding land navigation. Seven of these eleven land-navigation exercises are graded. If you don’t know how to navigate with a map and compass, you soon will, or you won’t complete this course. Land navigation tells us