Chosen Soldier - Dick Couch [39]
“All of you here today will leave this course in one of four ways. One way is to work hard and graduate. That’s what you want; that’s what we want. The second way is VW—voluntary withdrawal. You can do that at any time after morning formation this coming Monday. Some of you might be thinking about this already. It’s your choice. The 82nd and 101st are looking for airborne-qualified infantrymen. But you all came here to be Special Forces soldiers. Think about that as well. The third way is IVW—involuntary withdrawal. IVW means we kick you out of here.” Shields begins counting on his fingers. “You can get IVWed for safety violations, multiple spot reports—TAC write-ups for course violations—and, of course, integrity and conduct violations. You’re also subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Violation of the UCMJ will also get you removed from training and perhaps disciplinary action as well.” His head snaps around and he steps close to the front row. “Excuse me, number 103, but am I boring you, or are you just too sleepy to keep your eyes open?”
The young soldier blanches, jumps to his feet, and heads for the back of the room. One of the TACs heads him off and quietly puts him in the leaning rest. Several more students slip from their seats and go to stand in the back.
“The fourth way is as a medical drop. If you get hurt and can’t continue, you’ll be recycled to the next class or sent to the regular Army for a tour of duty to heal up. We’ll let you miss some training for a minor injury, but you have to complete the major portion of the class. We are not here to hurt you. If you have an injury, go to sick call, get some attention, and get back in training. But if you’re going to be in Special Forces, in this training and in the groups, you’re going to have to take care of yourself, and sometimes you’re going to have drive on when you’re hurting. That said, if you have an injury that seriously affects your performance, let’s get it fixed.”
Captain Shields pauses a moment to survey the class. “It boils down to this, gentlemen. Be at the right place, on time, in the right uniform, and have the right equipment. Stay focused and pay attention to detail. In this training, you have the weekends off; that won’t always be the case later on. Use your weekend time to rest and take care of your equipment and uniforms. Do the right thing and do your best. That’s all I have. First Sergeant?”
“FEET!”
There’s a mild commotion as Class 8-04 scrambles to their feet. Carter makes his way to the back of the room, and one of the TACs takes his place at the podium. Several other TACs begin to hand out forms and the class begins to fill out the inevitable paperwork—personal history forms, medical questionnaires, course survey forms—and, as in every phase of Special Forces training, they will sign a statement saying they understand and will adhere to the honor system. Each phase of Special Forces emphasizes the honor system in a slightly different way, but it comes down to the same thing—a soldier cannot lie, cheat, or steal. This means a half-truth is a lie, and concealing the wrongdoing of another is also a violation of the honor system. The honor system demands that a soldier not only conform to a standard of honesty, but that he must be intolerant of other soldiers who are dishonest.
The next morning there is no class physical training or conditioning run. Instead, the class takes the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT. Students are graded in three areas: the number of push-ups they can do in two minutes, the number of sit-ups they can do in two minutes, and their time on a two-mile run. The Army APFT standards have a sliding scale for age, but everyone in Class 8-04 will be graded in the seventeen-to-twenty-one age group. Top score in the