Basic Army Training: Combat Training/Golan
Trip Start
Dec 05, 2008
1
17
33
Trip End
Jul 13, 2009
Tiberias,
Galilee,
Israel
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Essentially, this week would be devoted to army combat training in the open desert, a description that while exciting, is not nearly as great as how it turned out. One morning, for instance, we learned (intensively) how to operate our M-16, in terms of how to load it, cock it, and utilize it in action when traveling within a platoon. Another time, we learned how to perform stake-outs and ambushes at night, including how to navigate ourselves by the stars. It was incredibly dark here in the open desert, not quite like in Wadi Rum in Jordan, but it still felt as if the bright stars were only as high as airliner traffic.
We also learned how to walk, crawl, and maneuver in order to avoid getting spotted by the enemy. In a very fun application of these new skills, we were sent out in small teams one night as part of a game to see who could successfully navigate their way up a mountain and retrieve a green light stick, all without being spotted by any of the commanders roaming the area with flashlights. And another time, my machlakah of around thirty soldiers actively learned how to navigate through the desert as part of a battalion. For instance, what to do if a grenade was thrown here and what to yell, as well as how to orient our positions and adapt if attacked by enemy combatants. This simulation, in particular, felt "real."
We were also taught how to construct bunkers, in terms of what features were important and how to align ourselves in case of an advancing enemy. When it came time for each team of eleven to present their bunker to the rest, our commander suddenly chose me to give the explanation, even though I had missed some of the discussion due to the push-ups I had been doing as punishment for not having all five fingers on my gun's handle while standing "hakshev" in the "chet." Such is life. But anyway, after my brief explanation the commander kept asking me rapid-fire questions, which I think I answered pretty well. It seemed that we were constantly on the move throughout the entire week, and while there were times when I would have done anything for even a ten-minute break, I had an incredible amount of fun. Truthfully, I doubt there will be another week like this one.
One more amazing episode: After learning all of these new skills over the first few days in the open desert, the commanders set up a competition between each 11-person team, in which nine different stations tested our abilities and teamwork in applying what we had learned. Here is how it went down: After my tzevet (team) was instructed to move after completing our first station, I heard some screams and shouts coming from another location, where another team was apparently celebrating a good performance in their first test. Something about that set me off. Almost immediately, I morphed into the hyper-competitive intramural maniac who rages inside me, and that famous edge of mine, gone for nearly one year, was suddenly back. It goes without saying that we ended up winning the competition, as well as the Coke bottle and potato chips that came along with it. Every time we meet up within our tzevet with our commander, we are supposed to write up and prepare a little piece of paper to essentially tell her who is present at the "chet." We considered handing in our paper inside the potato chip bag wrapper but thought better of it. Under that blistering desert sun, nobody felt like getting shot that day.
That same day was my birthday, for which my commander woke me up in the night and told me to get outside my two-person tent wearing my uniform in five minutes. After leading me around in the darkness, telling me to go here and then there, we came up to a spot where I saw the rest of the commanders standing twenty feet away in the darkness with their arms crossed. It reminded me of a scene from Lost. As told, I did one push-up for every time they said a number, up to 23. Then they gave me a little make-shift card and balloon. It was one of the rare times when the commanders have ever shown any semblance of a real human personality, as army protocol dictates that commanders and soldiers keep what they call "distance" between them. I forgot the exact term for it, but apparently we break that distance at the end of the course, which should be interesting. Right now, for instance, many people would find it hard to ever consider being friends with their commanders. But either way, thank you for the push-ups. I do not think I will be having another birthday like this.
Heading north, we stayed at a large army base near the Golan Heights and Tiberias called Mikvey Alon. This base largely houses soldiers who recently made Aliyah and need to study Hebrew, as well as those Israeli teenagers who came from troubled backgrounds and need to learn some tougher discipline. Here in the north, the beautiful green trees and forest hills represented a remarkable change from the desolate desert of the south, from which there was no recourse against the sun. Perhaps since this base could hold up to 3,000 soldiers apparently, the cafeteria food was actually not too bad. We slept in bunk-bed cots with about twenty of us per room. Needless to say, the first shower after Field Week was unbelievable.
The few days spent up here were much calmer than the previous ones. Apart from some physical exercises, we spent one morning up in Tzafat. Though also learning about the religious and spiritual aspects of the city, we were mostly taught about its significance in military terms. As in, how Tzafat was won by the Jewish forces, what stragetic importance it carried, and what it meant to the IDF for the future of the state of Israel. We learned the same sort of thing for a couple of other locations here in the north, as well as other lessons on the famous spy Eli Cohen, the 1967 War, the Lebanon wars, and anti-Semitism itself.
As it happens, we were given another short break due to Memorial Day and Independence Day, which fall back-to-back. Here in Israel, almost everybody knows at least one person who has fallen either in battle or in a terrorist attack, so Memorial Day understandably took on a very somber tone. Apart from the ceremony held on the base, our bus stopped at another location near to Jerusalem, where soldiers and families alike had arrived to mourn the loss of loved ones. Since a cynic might say that the 62nd year of Israel is by no means guaranteed, Independence Day carried a sudden change of atmosphere from the previous day, especially in Tel Aviv, where I went with some friends to the concerts near Rabin Square and to the beachfront as well. Holocaust Remembrance Day also took place one week before this time, and as you can imagine, this event took on a similar tone. For obvious reasons, though, you might say this occasion meant more to every one of us there, and not just the Israelis. At one point, a siren sounds throughout the country, and everybody everywhere stops what they are doing for the two minutes. Even cars stop on the road wherever they are, and the passengers get out. An unusual scence.
During this break, I met up one last time with three current Air Force soldiers I had become friends with from salsa class in Rehovot. Every week after class, we had always gone out to dinner together. They were very sad to see me go and even bought me an item that you place on your door at home for good luck. After spending a few days in Haifa, I am more than ready to return to the army training. In a way, it reminds me of a fraternity of brothers with whom you share incredible experiences and work together in pursuit of common goals. Except that here, if you do not listen to the commander (i.e. master), you get shot. Or just punished.
