Mission

As you can imagine, some missions can have a toll on us mentally and physically to where we feel drained and exhausted. Rod and Tobias have gone to different training environments, such as climbing high mountains with an oxygen mask to help them improve their breathing in high-elevated places. At first, it was challenging for Tobias and Rod to breathe with their oxygen mask on due to obtaining limited oxygen at the high altitude. However, once they reached the top of the mountain, Rod and Tobias were relieved to have made it to the top because they wanted to quit due to how frustrating it was wearing the oxygen mask and how they almost passed out for having a small amount of oxygen.

Rod and Tobias trained in the ocean. Tobias and Rod had to do twelve laps of swimming in the pool before they could swim in the sea with their hands and feet tied up. The goal was to have Tobias and Rod push their bodies to their limitations even when they were fatigued and could not use their arms or legs. Even though it was hard to swim with their hands and feet tied up, the purpose was to have them consider what they could do if they could not use their hands or feet, and their options were to drown or float on their back.

Finally, Rod and Tobias could relax on their backs to float until they could use their arms and legs again. Rod and Tobias could swim correctly because the rope used to tie their hands and legs got loose. When Rod and Tobias got tired again, they floated on their backs and stayed calm since sometimes they swam when the oceans had strong currents. Rod and Tobias know they would have gotten tired and drowned if they tried fighting with the wind.

Since Rod Huntersinger and Tobias Washington were in boot camp, they became inseparable and brothers not by blood but by bond. Rod and Tobias were happy when they learned they would be doing the same MOS (Military Occupational Specialty.) Usually, only a few individuals get assigned to the same MOS due to what the recruiter thinks you should do and what is available. Rod and Tobias were not quitters; they overcame every challenge and how they dealt with their situation. Tobias did not include boot camp’s mental part since he was training his body, not his mind and emotions.

Tobias was grateful for his drill instructors preparing him for any condition. Tobias’s drill instructors have called him a loser, weakling, and so forth, only to prove that he can keep going no matter what. The reason was to prepare him for circumstances without having him freak out or be depressed. Tobias’s drill instructors always said, “No matter what, do not give up because it’s all mental; keep pushing your body. All the vomit and sweat are weakness leaving your body.”

Every time Tobias pushed himself past his limits, he would vomit and feel like his body was dying slowly and painfully, but he would keep going because he knew weakness was leaving his body since it was all mental and physical. No matter how many times Tobias wanted to give up for feeling like there was no improvement or feeling like a failure, he kept telling himself that it would be selfish to give up because Tobias chose to be in the military to learn the discipline to be a better version of himself than he is now.

Before Tobias entered the military, he trained his body to pass the physical test and his brain to pass the written test. Tobias’ workout was simple; he did only one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, five minutes of planks, twenty pull-ups, and ran three miles every other day. Tobias’s parents questioned his decision to join the military because Tobias was a great student who studied hard to pass every examination he took in class. However, Tobias’ parents wanted him to go to college to get a degree in which he could make a career.

Boot camp was more challenging than Tobias thought it would be due to the intense exercise he had to do, such as running three miles, doing one hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, doing one hundred jumping jacks, and about fifty burpees. Tobias had to practice marching and get used to marching everywhere he went instead of walking. Tobias’ vocabulary changed in boot camp; he could not use the words I, me, etc. Tobias replaced the word I with this recruit and replaced me with the term we.

In boot camp, Tobias spoke in the third person, which he found odd and weird. For example, one of the military phrases Tobias learned to say in boot camp was this recruit. If Tobias had to use the restroom, he had to say this recruit has to use the head.

Tobias learned that boot camp was designed to break him down mentally and physically. Tobias thought that his drill instructors were having fun by messing with him. In boot camp, one person’s errors became everyone’s mistakes. For example, if someone did not lock their footlocker in time, everyone would have to do push-ups because it was about teamwork, not individualism. Tobias learned how to become one and work as a team player, even though it was initially challenging because of his upbringing.

Once Tobias graduated from boot camp, he went home for one week, and then Tobias went to his MOS training school, which was for infantry. Tobias effectively learned to use a machine gun, grenade, tank, and knife. Tobias was taught different martial arts combat styles, which was fun because he learned various techniques. Tobias learned that some combat styles were Muay Thai, Krav Maga, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Knowing these different techniques had saved Tobias’s and Rod Huntersinger’s lives on multiple occasions. Tobias and Rod were not ready to die. When others were dying, they fought to live for their own lives and reasons.

One of Tobias and Rod’s missions was to scope an area where their superiors told them that suspicious activity was occurring from a terrorist group, causing traumatic destruction and chaos. The name of the terrorist group is called The Syndicate of Invisibility. The Syndicate of Invisibility chose their name because no one knows their real identity or motive as to why they cause chaos and destruction. They have caused people to be terrified of them and their agenda.

Everyone knows of The Syndicate of Invisibility because they are skilled at blending in. Once someone catches on to The Syndicate of Invisibility, the individuals are killed gruesomely. The latest article stated that the previous victim of The Syndicate of Invisibility was tortured by stabbing. The more frustrated the torturer got, the worse they got, like using jumper cables to make the electricity enter the victim’s bodies.

Tobias and Rod were told to scout anything from their commanding officer that seemed suspicious and report back. Unfortunately, Rod and Tobias stood out too much, which led to one of the reasons for their capture. Rod and Tobias got shot in the legs so they could not escape and then got hit on their head to make them unconscious to take them to their hideout.

The terrorist threw water to wake Rod and Tobias, who had their hands handcuffed behind a chair and their feet tied to it. The terrorists spoke English fluently and Arabic, Spanish, and Latin. Tobias and Rod had to learn to speak Arabic fluently for their mission, especially for this one, even though it took them a while to be fluent. They had to study it every day until it became second nature. What had given Rod and Tobias away, even though they spoke Arabic fluently, was their heavy accent. Rod and Tobias tried removing their heavy accent but could not because it was difficult. Finally, the terrorist asked them in English, “Who are you looking for?”

Tobias replied by saying, “It is none of your business.” Rod responded, “Go F Yourself, you piece of crap.” Rod’s response provoked the terrorist to stab them in their legs, arms, thighs, and abdomen a few times. Even though they were losing blood, they were not in danger of dying because the terrorist was trained in the body physiology and anatomy to torture and not kill them for days.