July 26, 1997 - Final Drill

970726 - Today was a good day. We had Final Drill in the morning and even though we didn't win, we did well and worked as a team. After chow we went to the confidence course. It was very tiring but fun. I'm looking forward to next week as we'll be on the rifle range (for the next 3 weeks, actually). Only 34 days left...
When our platoon got back to the squad bay after Final Drill, our Drill Instructors were pretty furious. This time, though, they were angry at someone other than us. As far as they were concerned, our platoon had performed far better than the other two platoons in the series and should have gotten first place. We got second, though, and they were certain that it was because this was the final platoon for the Senior Drill Instructor of platoon 1070. Because of that, they concluded, the drill masters (those who score the Drill competitions) had given his platoon the victory. Whatever. As long as they were angry at someone other than us, I didn't really care. Plus: no more Drill competitions.

The confidence course at boot camp is sort of like an obstacle course on steroids. The obstacles are much larger, with more emphasis on getting through the challenges than on speed. It was challenging to be sure, but for the most part, it did what it was intended and helped to build confidence as I headed to the Rifle Range.

Rather than trying to explain them all to you, I have shared two videos. The first one is a short video from Parris Island. The second one is from San Diego boot camp.




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