Marc has had very little time to write, so far. His first few letters consist of scribbles on whatever paper is available. I feel lucky that he takes those few available minutes to write to me.
Last week, Marc served his rotation as platoon leader (the week before he was squad leader). His duties kept him very busy; he functioned as the channel between the candidates in his platoon and the TAC instructors. As a result, he acquired extra demerits whenever anyone in the platoon made a mistake. Certain numbers of demerits earn him “tours of duty” (extra work details) or restrictions (periods during which he cannot leave the barracks). I am hoping he’ll be able to work these off before the picnic in February. Fortunately, the demerits do get reset each week.
Marc describes his physical training as “unrelenting, but not impossible.” He seems to be holding up well on the five-mile road marches. During the “very fun” Combat Swim Test, he was pushed off a high-dive, blindfolded, in full “battle rattle.” Then, he had to swim in full gear. OCS is also training him in Brazilian jujitsu. The company commander strongly believes in the idea of “every soldier a rifleman first.” In other words, no matter what your assignment, you are expected to be a competent and confident fighter. In the classroom, Marc is writing essays, deciphering combat maps, and learning the legal underpinnings of his work as a soldier.
Once again, Marc is enjoying his field exercises. They’ve already completed one Land Navigation exercise. Despite the chilly weather, Marc enjoys sleeping under the stars. They practiced day and night orienteering, locating markers amidst thorns and clumps of barbed wire. Marc’s hands got pretty cut up and he had to read a blood-splattered map. To make things a little more interesting, the TACs launched simulated artillery attacks on the OCs.
Mostly, the stress comes from the demerit system and from the psychological pressure. The OCs are allowed very little sleep, and they are kept busy constantly. Each day, they are quizzed on the day’s Operation Order (daily temperature, safety reminder of the day, quote of the day, end-evening-nautical-twilight time, etc.). This week, the student leadership had the clever idea to include news in the Operation Order; the men got news, but the TAC instructors ruthlessly quizzed them on the minutiae, doling out many demerits in the process.
Everything, from their non-standardized lockers to the way they fold laundry, must be exactly uniform. They even need to sleep synchronized. Every night during their lights-out procedures, they exercise, sing the alma mater, lie down on their beds, assume the position of attention, and then allegedly and miraculously fall asleep – all in unison.
Rest assured that this vigorous training has not sapped Marc’s sense of humor. Some background – at this stage of training, the candidates’ food intake is closely monitored and they are not allowed to consume “dessert.” When a fellow OC took some forbidden pudding, a sergeant asked Marc if pudding qualifies as dessert. Marc proceeded cautiously, offering that, as the pudding is in the salad bar, it is not dessert.
A captain jumped in, “But isn’t pudding sweet?”
Marc countered, “So is fruit, but we’re allowed to eat it.”
The TACs were bursting out in laughter. The captain continued, “In the Lindemann household growing up, did you think of pudding as a dessert?”
“We considered both pudding and fruit dessert but this is not my household; this is a mess hall with a salad bar.” Marc’s “defense of pudding” succeeded, or was at least sufficiently amusing, and his fellow OC was let off with a warning.
OCS is difficult enough that many of these soldiers are dropping out due to injury or by choice. When an officer candidate wants to quit OCS, he rings the bell in the company area. However, there are a lot of physically and mentally fit men there with Marc. He’s even met a man who served in Afghanistan, a Citadel graduate, and a Classical history major; true, the last fellow’s from Harvard, but I’m sure he’s squared away, nonetheless. I’m confident that those who eventually graduate OCS will be excellent leaders of our Army.