Week 20 + 21 – טכניכות תרגולות + שבוע כיתה

חוסן
Resilience. 
It’s a word that was thrown around a lot these past two weeks. Physical resilience, mental resilience. Building our character by going through the uncomfortable and difficulties with our heads high. Rain, cold, wind, lack of sleep, trekking long distances with weight. These past two weeks in the shetach were exhausting.


We started the week on base, preparing for the upcoming weeks in the shetach. We had a mini class on the different types of techniques and formations we’d be learning and spent time organizing all the equipment we’d be taking. On Monday morning, before heading out we had the obstacle course again which I finally passed. It took me 3 tries to get over the wall but in spite of that, I still finished in 9:10. Not too shabby.

Soon after, my commander told me my bakshatz, bakashat yetziah, “special request” to go out the following Sunday for a close friends wedding had been denied. “There’s important material you can’t miss,” he said. I half expected it but it was a depressing blow nonetheless and prompted me to think, even more than I usually do, of the freedoms I’m giving up in the army. How my schedule isn’t mine; I can’t decide to just leave for things that are important to me. Of course I knew that going in, but this was my first real experience with missing something as big as a wedding. A stark reminder of my reality for a year and a half. Stomaching these kinds of disappointments in army vernacular is just another way to build חוסן.

There’s also the perpetual fear that you can have hours taken off your home time or even close a Shabbat for messing up. As a 25 year old, the thought that a 19 year old can take away my personal time because I did something wrong is irritating. It’s why I try and stay extremely vigilant throughout the week.

We left for the shetach Monday afternoon and spent the first few hours building our field tents, these massive 25 person tents, that would be our homes for the week. That night, we set out in the field to learn techniques like crossing a valley, encountering an enemy on a hill, and general walking in formation. We were given 8 hours to sleep instead of the typical 7 to offset the 1 hour shmira each of us had to do in the middle of the night.

The next day consisted of nonstop learning with a run and additional strength workout in the evening. 20 minutes after going to bed, we were woken up with shouts of “Chamesh Milchama”. We put on all our gear and started marching. 2 minutes into the march, a commander whistled the sound of a rocket falling overhead and shouted out that there were multiple people injured; we were practicing an אר״ן: אירוע רוב נפגעים. The mefakdei chuliot and medics sprung into action, shouting out commands for some people to provide cover, others to work on the injured, and others to transport the injured to a “pick up spot”. It all happened incredibly fast and as far as night wakes go, we were all happy with this one. It wasn’t a wake up just to punish us or make us run but was actually educational. I enjoyed it.

The next morning, I was told to walk over to another machlakas base camp because there was drills I had missed a month before that I needed to make up: opening rooms as a Chulia. There was a fake building near the other base camp, so we’d be doing the drill there. I’m not sure if there was a mix up in the schedule or what happened, but, along with the 20 other people who were making up this drill, we waited the entire morning. From 9 AM until 2 PM, we were left alone in the base camp while the mefakdim and other soldiers were out doing drills. Such a nice relaxation two days into the shetach.

That night we had a ליל מסימות – a night of marching with out gear, being tested on everything we’d learned over the past few days.

Important note for this week and the following: it’s cold. Really damn cold. And windy. And rainy. The nights are really tough. I brought thermals and heating pads but it’s still cold. And the first few hours of the morning before the earth has warmed up, or those hours after the sun has set before we go to bed is brutal. The actual drills we do and the schedule is fine; I actually enjoyed the time in the shetach and the overall atmosphere of Imun Mitkadem. The main חוסן building aspect of the shetach is the weather.

On Thursday, we took down the camp and continued doing drills, this time a live fire drill in the day and night for encountering an enemy on a hill as a kita.

Thursday night was the מסע מ”פ – a 25km +5km with stretcher march with an increased load of 40% body weight on our backs. It was long, intense and tiring but I managed. Ive had shoulder pains in my left shoulder for a while now but I switched bags with someone to a bag that shifts the weight better to my waist.

When I was a kid, my parents would sing to us before bed. I remember cozying under my blankets, my Grandfather’s tri-paneled wooden headboard behind my head with a little blue train from my other grandfather, a native American dream catcher, a “dragon tear” from a Renaissance fair, and other knick knacks I’d hoarded within. My mom sang Tomorrow from Annie, a song all about how no matter what, the next day will come and all will be ok, and my father sang hatikva and hamalach hagoel. Now, for whatever reason, these two songs came back to me on the masa. I whistle to myself during Masaot to pass the time and these two songs were on a loop. It feels like a real full circle moment. Songs that were sung to me in my childhood, about getting through tough moments and about the dream for a Jewish state were now pushing me through a masa in the Israeli army.

We ended the masa at 5 in the morning out in the shetach at the lashabia, the fake village near base. We changed our sweaty uniforms and slept on the floor of one of the buildings. No shower after not just this masa but the entire week in the shetach. We’d be closing shabbat out here and just continuing on to the next week out in the field. חוסן.

Surprisingly, we were given 30 minutes on our phones before shabbat, so after calling my family, I called my friend who’s wedding I’d be missing to wish him Mazal tov. If I couldn’t make the wedding, it was the least I could do. Luckily, I brought a book and spent Shabbat reading and napping.

Sunday morning we packed up camp in the Lashabia. We’d now be starting שבוע כיתה. This week was megalgel, meaning we’d be carrying all our equipment with us to different  learning points. We did drills all day and returned to the lashabia to sleep. The next day, more drills. Again, the drills themselves and the material we’re learning is interesting. It was just so damn cold. And this time, the rain and wind also picked up and bore down on us. One of the drills, an hour long, full kitah conquering of a hill, we did in a downpour. At the end, at the top of the hill, the מ”מ said to us: “you know what they say? Two things work in the rain: windshield wipers and gdud 202”. We all cheered and then sang our gduds cheer.  We walked from station to station, with all our equipment on us. I learned more about the role of a sharpshooter. It’s my responsibility to scope out landscapes and spot enemies, as well as gauge the distance to the enemy to inform my Mefaked on his plan of attack.

We finished the last station around 10:30 PM and then marched all the way back to base. 12 km with bags that were probably 60% body weight. The last 4 km I pushed my classmate in front of me because he was struggling. My shoulder screamed the entire time. We got back around 2 in the morning and got to shower. Plus, we’d be sleeping on base. In the heat and on mattresses! We paused our week in the shetach because the following day was Asarah betevet; the army wasn’t allowed to do anything physical with us. 

We spent the fast day relaxing on base. Around Mincha time, Yossi Nadel visited base to say hi as part of his religious lone soldier organization. And be brought Liora! It was an unbelievable surprise and a nice warm hug to be able to see family after the crazy weeks we’d gone through. We spoke, broke the fast together, and got to hang out for a bit.

We went to bed around 9 and were woken up at 4:30 to חמש מלחמה. We were going back out to the shetach. We spent the entire day walking to different stations that were designed to test everything we’d learned over the past couple of weeks. Most of the drills were in the open field, but the last exercise we had was conquering 3 separate buildings that were next to each other. We used paint bullets and did the whole thing “live”. It was incredibly fast- paced and as opposed to the field exercises which were actually kind of fun and felt like a game, this one made me realize how serious and discombobulating warfare can be. It was a wake up call.

We marched back to base and went to bed around 12. Finally done with shavua kita! Or so we thought. 20 minutes later, we were woken up to arba krav maga and went out to an hour of krav maga before then actually, finally being sent to sleep.

On Thursday, we went to the shooting ranges for 7 hours to realign our scopes in preparation for the next week: שבוע קליעה.

Friday morning, we were supposed to go to the beaches of ashkelon to practice for the Bochen tzevet: a 2km run with a 20 kg vest on and an 80 kg stretcher shared between 8 people. It rained though so we practiced on base.
Usually the chayalim bodedim leave at 4:30 AM but because of this bochen tzevet, we didn’t leave until 7:30. The מ”פ called over the chayalim bodedim and apologized that we’d be leaving late. To make up for it, he told us we’d be able to return on Sunday in the evening instead of morning. He wanted us to have time for all our errands. It was incredibly nice of him.

I got home around 9:30 so still had a full day. I’d dreamt of this moment for 2 weeks in the cold, rainy shetach. Coming back to my apartment, taking hot showers without a time limit, and cozying up on the couch watching a movie. Other roommates were there. One was making pancakes and told me they were starting a movie soon. He told me he was putting on “It’s a wonderful life”.  The ending to these two tough weeks couldn’t have been scripted better. I got exactly what I dreamed about; I took a hot shower put on sweatpants and watched it’s a wonderful life on the couch. Bliss.

I spent the Shabbat meals by friends but made sure not to eat too much Shabbat day. Two months ago, I looked at the schedule, saw that I would have these two weeks in the shetach in a row where I’d be toughing it and eating field rations, and wanted to go all out on the motzash I was out. So I booked a spot for me and 4 of my closest friends to Pitmaster, a 7 course meat meal + show in Jerusalem. It was amazing. Both the food and the chance to bring close friends together and catch up.

I spent my extended Sunday leave lazing around, buying things I need for base, watching a movie and catching up on writing this blog. We didn’t have our phones in the shetach, so I had to write this all very post facto. Oh well. I’m developing the muscle for writing in my limited free time out of the army too. It’s sometimes annoying feeling like I have an assignment but I’m incredibly happy with this writing project and know it’s  important to have for the rest of my life. It can feel like a chore sometimes and not purely writing for fun, but it’s all about חוסן ultimately isn’t it?