Pairs Week

Two weeks ago we had a week in the field called "Pairs Week." As I am sure you can guess, we spent the week working with a partner. We were in the field learning how to storm a hill. Usually this is done with an entire company, or several, but their thinking is that you start at the base and work your way up. So...we start with pairs, then there is something called a hooliya (about 4 people) which loosely translates to "small group" or "band," then a class (10-12 people), a platoon (or in my case in the special forces we have teams, which is roughly 20 or 25 people as opposed to 30 or 35 in a platoon), and finally a company (in our case 90).

In the beginning it is a lot to learn, but it starts to make sense as you catch on. When one person is advancing the other is covering him and they both make their way up the hill until they are close enough to "charge."

During the week Harrison had to leave the field and see the doctor because he got a concussion. Between the different training exercises there are a lot of different things that the commanders have us do. For instance, during the week we ran 2 km with our vests and guns and one day we ran a kilometer while carrying someone on a stretcher. During the week Harrison's group did a relay race with another team. The first part of the relay race was carrying wounded soldiers. Harrison's partner sprinted down a hill and tripped. Harrison fell head first on a rock. He had a week at home to rest and he is doing better but he still gets a little dizzy from time to time.