June 18
You know that feeling. The one you get when you've reached the end of something that had a defined finish line. You get jumpy, giddy – simply proud of your accomplishments. In the army, you add on the feeling of wanting to break that precious distance with the commanders and the end of training feeling is one of a kind. Although the army can be very unorganized sometimes and drawn out to be longer than it needs to be, it can still have its fun, challenging moments (even if it means having more intensive weeks because of something we may have missed). In addition, it was another three weeks straight without going home, meaning we had to be mentally ready for that, too.
Our tank had gone from the furthest advanced in training to the furthest behind in a span of a few weeks and we knew what lied ahead of us – make-up work. We had to do all of this while also doing the final tests as a staff. This didn’t just include tank driving and firing and things of that nature. It also included a test on how well we can recognize enemy tanks, how well we know the radio system, and first aide and things of that nature. Think of it as a final exam and it makes more sense. As a staff, we decided we weren’t going to do a 50% job, but rather give it our all and show why they chose us as the "best" so-to-speak from the get-go. It would take a lot of work, but it could also be fun.
The first week of the "21" as they call these three week stints was very tiring because of all of those tests, but much more preferred to doing only guarding or doing kitchen as well. We busted our butts and finished the week tabbed as either number one or 2 in the platoon (they didn't want to say who was first because of that competitive controversy stuff, like between brothers). But we also didn’t care, because we did the best that we could and on a personal level, I saw how much I had learned about the army, not just driving tanks. I had finished the necessary training to make it to the next level and I felt real good about that.
The Shabbat after, I found myself lying in bed throwing up which happened to many people as something was going around. I received my first ever IV and felt really weak. Many people tried to stretch out more sick days from this but I had made a pact with myself that I didn’t just come here for nothing and pushed myself. Plus, the next week was a fun one anyways; it was Hebrew ulpan week for all immigrants with less than perfect Hebrew. I really enjoyed this week and learned a lot. However, on one day, I got pulled out to help the platoon in the shetach since there was a lack of drivers, and although I didn’t want to do this at the time, it would pay its dividends shortly. Overall, it was a very fun week to say the least.
The reason it paid off to do the day of training is because the following week, nine people were chosen to go and do a special week-long training with the infantry forces of Givati and I was one of them. They were going to be doing their war simulation week and we were going to be joining them. We slept a lot less than usual and had less supplies, water, and food than usual, but I wouldn’t hesitate to say it was my most fun week of training I've done up to this point. The shetach was beautiful with boulders, flowers, trees, blue skies with clouds, and rolling hills of green for kilometers on end. Well, at least it was completely like that unitl I and the fellow drivers ran a lot of it over, including full trees. Yes, I'm guilty (and sorry) for contributing to destroying the environment.
The end of the week brought me to June 18 – my birthday. Usually before my birthday I feel it coming, some anticipation. For some reason, maybe the fact that time flies faster than usual here, it snuck up on me. Or maybe it was that it was the most different and interesting birthday I have ever had. I received beautiful and warm wishes from family and friends and at the end of the day my great adoptive family took me out for a nice steak dinner and my friends took me out to a club. But it was before that which made it so interesting. Waking up at 3 AM to drive a tank for about 10 kilometers and three hours of time was never something I dreamt of doing on my birthday.
It was then I realized how much I had become integrated into the army. And I thought how regular it had become to wake up and be in the army or after a weekend at home to travel back to the army and not feel completely depressed. I had felt like I had overcome the hardest (in my opinion) about the army – the mental aspect, not the physical one. At the beginning, it was extremely difficult to return or even think about the week that would be. Now, here I was at the (army-old) age of 23 and I felt like I had done it, I had overcome that. It may not have been a birthday I would have ever drawn up in my head, but it might have been the most influential in my life, at least considering where I am and what I am doing. I was now 23 and the training was coming to an end, but in essence it was really only beginning – because I realized different life lessons along the journey that is the Israeli army that will only help me from here on out.
You know that feeling. The one you get when you've reached the end of something that had a defined finish line. You get jumpy, giddy – simply proud of your accomplishments. In the army, you add on the feeling of wanting to break that precious distance with the commanders and the end of training feeling is one of a kind. Although the army can be very unorganized sometimes and drawn out to be longer than it needs to be, it can still have its fun, challenging moments (even if it means having more intensive weeks because of something we may have missed). In addition, it was another three weeks straight without going home, meaning we had to be mentally ready for that, too.
Our tank had gone from the furthest advanced in training to the furthest behind in a span of a few weeks and we knew what lied ahead of us – make-up work. We had to do all of this while also doing the final tests as a staff. This didn’t just include tank driving and firing and things of that nature. It also included a test on how well we can recognize enemy tanks, how well we know the radio system, and first aide and things of that nature. Think of it as a final exam and it makes more sense. As a staff, we decided we weren’t going to do a 50% job, but rather give it our all and show why they chose us as the "best" so-to-speak from the get-go. It would take a lot of work, but it could also be fun.
The first week of the "21" as they call these three week stints was very tiring because of all of those tests, but much more preferred to doing only guarding or doing kitchen as well. We busted our butts and finished the week tabbed as either number one or 2 in the platoon (they didn't want to say who was first because of that competitive controversy stuff, like between brothers). But we also didn’t care, because we did the best that we could and on a personal level, I saw how much I had learned about the army, not just driving tanks. I had finished the necessary training to make it to the next level and I felt real good about that.
The Shabbat after, I found myself lying in bed throwing up which happened to many people as something was going around. I received my first ever IV and felt really weak. Many people tried to stretch out more sick days from this but I had made a pact with myself that I didn’t just come here for nothing and pushed myself. Plus, the next week was a fun one anyways; it was Hebrew ulpan week for all immigrants with less than perfect Hebrew. I really enjoyed this week and learned a lot. However, on one day, I got pulled out to help the platoon in the shetach since there was a lack of drivers, and although I didn’t want to do this at the time, it would pay its dividends shortly. Overall, it was a very fun week to say the least.
The reason it paid off to do the day of training is because the following week, nine people were chosen to go and do a special week-long training with the infantry forces of Givati and I was one of them. They were going to be doing their war simulation week and we were going to be joining them. We slept a lot less than usual and had less supplies, water, and food than usual, but I wouldn’t hesitate to say it was my most fun week of training I've done up to this point. The shetach was beautiful with boulders, flowers, trees, blue skies with clouds, and rolling hills of green for kilometers on end. Well, at least it was completely like that unitl I and the fellow drivers ran a lot of it over, including full trees. Yes, I'm guilty (and sorry) for contributing to destroying the environment.
The end of the week brought me to June 18 – my birthday. Usually before my birthday I feel it coming, some anticipation. For some reason, maybe the fact that time flies faster than usual here, it snuck up on me. Or maybe it was that it was the most different and interesting birthday I have ever had. I received beautiful and warm wishes from family and friends and at the end of the day my great adoptive family took me out for a nice steak dinner and my friends took me out to a club. But it was before that which made it so interesting. Waking up at 3 AM to drive a tank for about 10 kilometers and three hours of time was never something I dreamt of doing on my birthday.
It was then I realized how much I had become integrated into the army. And I thought how regular it had become to wake up and be in the army or after a weekend at home to travel back to the army and not feel completely depressed. I had felt like I had overcome the hardest (in my opinion) about the army – the mental aspect, not the physical one. At the beginning, it was extremely difficult to return or even think about the week that would be. Now, here I was at the (army-old) age of 23 and I felt like I had done it, I had overcome that. It may not have been a birthday I would have ever drawn up in my head, but it might have been the most influential in my life, at least considering where I am and what I am doing. I was now 23 and the training was coming to an end, but in essence it was really only beginning – because I realized different life lessons along the journey that is the Israeli army that will only help me from here on out.
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