11 More training
boot camp graduation.
Getting to see my mother, who flew from California to see my graduation, and the look of pride on her face when we finally got to speak and see each other after the parade march and speeches, filled me with pride for my accomplishment.
Unfortunately, my father wasn't able to come, he was transferred to the Pentagon and couldn't get leave at the moment.
After graduation, I had a week's leave, then I would begin infantry training and then sniper school, so I would be spending every minute of it with my mother. It could be months or over a year before I would see her again.
Even though I would be going to Camp Pendleton for infantry training in California, I wouldn't be able to leave and see my mother, then right after infantry training it would be straight to sniper school.
We flew back to California where my parents bought a nice comfortable house that was perfect for them, away from the base.
The first few days we spent our time going into LA and doing some shopping and having dinners.
But time flies.
And before I knew it, it was time to report to Camp Pendleton.
Something became clear right from the beginning of infantry training, and that was that the instructors didn't sound like they always wanted to kill us, instead, they were laid back and spoke normally.
Of course, they were still stern, when someone is acting like a dumb ass the instructors have no problem letting you know.
We started by going through an agility course, and fiscal fitness course to make sure we didn't get out of shape in the week that we were out of boot.
After the physical fitness was done, we moved on to the classroom.
The first thing in class that we did was take a knowledge retention test.
After that, we went on to learn the philosophy of warfighting, combat orders, administration, and other subjects revolving around war.
Week 2
We finally made it out of the classroom and into the field, I couldn't be happier, my brain was starting to hurt with all of the information I had to squeeze in.
This week we started with field craft, field hygiene, camouflage, employing C4 systems, and high-frequency radios, and signature management.
Week 3
This week we were finally able to use our weapons.
First was advanced infantry marksmanship at greater range and conditioning, where I excelled above all at, it was like I couldn't miss, and I would have most of the instructors making bets if I would miss or not on certain targets.
Then it was anti-armor weapons, which was just as easy as shooting my rifle to me.
Then we went on to physical, mental, and social resiliency training.
Week 4
Week 4 sucked.
It was where we learned how to conduct aided defense advanced GPS, maps, and compass, as well as unaided navigation, celestial and sun improvised compass, and land navigation skills.
They would drop us off in the middle of nowhere and tell us to get back to camp in a set amount of hours.
Week 5
I enjoyed week 5 because it related to what I will be learning in sniper school.
First was observation skills, then tracking and counter-tracking techniques, and friendly and enemy trackable signatures.
Week 6
In week six we learned how to best use the equipment at hand like how to conduct fire and movements, employ grenade launchers, employ anti-armor weapons, and employ machine gums.
Week 7
Learned to conduct fire and maneuver day or night with our service rifle and the medium machine gun, as well as how to conduct surveillance.
Week 8
This week we learned anything and everything on radios and how to use them.
Week 9
In week 9 we went back to the classroom, where we learned orders and how to analyze the order.
Week 10
two-day patrolling exercise.
Week 11
Night exercises, where we had to hold a position for the night.
Week 12
Hold position training.
Week 13
Urban environment training, the base had a small town built on it where we learned how to clear buildings and the best way to clear streets, in both day and night.
Week 14
In our last week, we had to hold a position for five days under attack.
There was the constant sound of battle all around us that tested us mentally and physically.
It's a crazy feeling when someone is firing blanks and it sounds like it is aimed right at you.
We had to use all of the skills we learned so far to pass the past test.
And before I knew it I got my paper to report for sniper school.
At this point, I was so tired of the constant training and grueling exercises that I just wanted to quit, but I didn't have a choice, because the military practically owned my life now.
The good news though is that the sniper school was also at Camp Pendleton.
So all I needed to do was pack my belongings and take them to my new barracks room and then report in.
Again we started with classroom knowledge, basic marksmanship, and fieldcraft knowledge.
We learned about the rifles we would be using and how to take them apart and back together blindfolded.
After that, it was all fieldwork.
We started with target engagement and the best ways to take down a target.
Special reconnaissance consisting of digital collection, getting information from maps or aerial photographs.
observation, this was the worst part for me, the constant waiting and patience needed to do it.
urban movement and observation.
Sniper tactics consisting of high-angle shooting, counter-sniper, ballistic testing, loophole construction and shooting, close proximity target engagement
Then we went on to learn how to camouflage.
I thought I learned how to do that in the infantry training, but was I wrong, now I was learning in a ghillie suit that I would need to make with pieces of the forest where they would test us.
Once we had the suits we would need to hide and not be found, or we could fail the exercise.
After that was completed we started shooting.
For shooting, we had to have spotters.
My spotter's name was Larry Augusta, he was a short guy with dark brown hair and olive skin he got from his Greek heritage.
He was a good guy, that was easy to get along with and had a friendly personality.
Within the first week of him being my spotter, we were good friends.
The first day of shooting my sniper rifle had finally arrived.
I was lying down, flat on my stomach looking into the scope of my M40 bolt action sniper rifle.
My current target was a human-sized target sheet, sitting at around 700 yards.
Larry, who was also lying prone next to me, was looking through his depth reader and checking the wind for me.
With my ability to shoot Larry wasn't exactly needed but I didn't have a choice when it came to having the spotter.
Snippers were always in a group of two consisting of the spotter and the shooter.
So I let him read me the wind and distance, before adjusting my scope and getting ready for the shot.
Looking into the scope, I moved the small dot on the scope a few inches to the right of the target as well as a little above the fake target's head, before slowly pulling the trigger.
"head shot, good shooting Cole," Jerry said as he patted my back.
"I bet a crisp 20 you can't do that again," he said with a grin.
Looking over to him, I said with a smile.
"I bet $50 I can do that again."
"You're on, but this time I won't give you any reading, you've gotta do this unassisted," he said, his grin getting bigger.
"You're a scam artist," I say with a chuck as I look back into my scope.
"But that won't matter, I'm going to win your money", I said as I slowly squeezed the trigger again.
Looking through my scope I saw the second hole, right next to the first one.
Looking back at Larry I watched as he stared open-mouthed through his binoculars and the new hole in the head of my target.
"Will you be giving it to me in cash or check?" I asked, trying to hold in my laughter
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This chapter was a bit rushed so please let me know if there are any problems with it
